The First Amendment Bubble: How Privacy and Paparazzi Threaten a Free Press

For decades, privacy took a back seat to the public’s right to know. But as the Internet and changing journalism have made it harder to distinguish news from titillation, U.S. courts are showing new resolve in protecting individuals from invasive media scrutiny. As Amy Gajda shows, this judicial backlash is now impinging on mainstream journalists.

Table of Contents:
Contents Preface Chapter 1. An Introduction Chapter 2. Legal Protections for News and Truthful Information: The Past Chapter 3. Legal Protections for News and Truthful Information: The Present Chapter 4. The Devolution of Mainstream Journalism Chapter 5. The Rise, and Lows, of Quasi-Journalism Chapter 6. The New Old Legal Call for Privacy Chapter 7. The First Amendment Bubble, Absolutism, and Hazardous Growth Chapter 8. Drawing Difficult Lines Notes Acknowledgments Index

About the Author :
Gajda Amy : Amy Gajda, a former journalist, is Associate Professor of Law at Tulane University.

Review :
The difficult question--as always in First Amendment and most constitutional litigation--is where to draw the line. In grappling with that and offering provisional answers, ...Gajda do[es] a great service. -- Erwin Chemerinsky Chronicle of Higher Education Provocative and well-researched... Gajda's book serves as a warning that courts may be losing patience with repeated appeals from media organizations--which may or may not properly be considered journalistic--claiming that their right to broadcast increasingly intrusive and personal material is of newsworthiness, and in the public interest. Her argument is that these profit-driven, sensationalistic efforts to push the limits of the First Amendment will wind up spoiling press freedoms for the professional mainstream press, by setting court precedents that chip away at First Amendment rights for everyone... It's a timely intervention, and Gajda carries it off convincingly. -- Hans Rollman PopMatters An eye-opening, relevant and cautionary book. -- Kirkus Reviews Former journalist Gajda's timely book addresses threats to freedom of the press in the age of blogging and digital news sources...[It] tackles a complex subject in a compelling way. -- Becky Kennedy Library Journal What can be done to save journalism from growing legal pushbacks and the rise of privacy that threatens First Amendment safeguards? Amy Gajda has written an incredibly timely and detailed book, packed with compelling examples. -- Clay Calvert, University of Florida The First Amendment Bubble raises very important questions about the future of journalism and about concerns that judicial responses to irresponsible reporting could harm our democratic society. The author's experience as a journalist shines through in this well-researched and engaging book. -- Angela Campbell, Georgetown University Law Center