ABSTRACT
American media law is unique in that, theoretically, the First Amendment bans all government limitations on the press. But the Constitution provides for copyright laws the media are not free to violate, and freedom from government censorship doesn’t exempt the media from lawsuits by private individuals for libel, invasion of privacy or negligence. Then, too, Congress and the courts have decided that electronic media don’t deserve the freedom from regulation the print media have, so broadcast media are licensed, whereas print media are not.
