Public Relations & Social Marketing Insight
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Public Relations & Social Marketing Insight
Social marketing, PR insight & thought leadership - from The PR Coach
Curated by Jeff Domansky
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Scooped by Jeff Domansky
June 13, 2017 10:28 AM
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New York Rushes To Enact Terrible Right of Publicity Law

New York Rushes To Enact Terrible Right of Publicity Law | Public Relations & Social Marketing Insight | Scoop.it

The New York State Legislature is considering a bill that would radically reshape its right of publicity law. Assembly Bill A08155 [PDF] would dramatically expand New York’s right of publicity, making it a property right that can be passed on to your heirs – even if you aren’t a New York resident.


The bill was introduced less than two weeks ago and is being rushed through without any hearings. EFF is urging legislators to slow down before passing an unnecessary law that would threaten the freedom of expression of individuals, activists, artists, and journalists around the United States. 


The right of publicity is an offshoot of state privacy law that gives a person the right to limit the public use of her name, likeness, or identity for commercial purposes. While a limited version of this right makes sense (for example, allowing you to stop a company from using your name in an advertisement without permission), it has turned into a monster in recent years thanks to misguided legislation and court decisions.


In some states, the right covers just about any speech that even “evokes” a person’s identity. Celebrities have brought right of publicity cases against movies, rap lyrics, magazine features, and computer games. The right of publicity has even been invoked to silence criticism of celebrities.


Since the right of publicity can impact a huge range of speech, any changes to the law should be considered carefully....

Jeff Domansky's insight:

A bad law with unintended consequences if passed.

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Scooped by Jeff Domansky
October 3, 2016 10:09 AM
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Newspapers hit with a wave of requests to take down embarrassing archived stories

Newspapers hit with a wave of requests to take down embarrassing archived stories | Public Relations & Social Marketing Insight | Scoop.it

Legacy news organizations have been trying for more than a decade to crack the code of what to publish digitally, where and when. Now they are fielding a different kind of urgent request from readers — can you "unpublish" that?

 

The cause is obvious — people routinely get Googled by potential employers, dating partners or the just plain curious. That 20-year-old drunk and disorderly arrest has a way of popping to the top of the list.

 

A remedy is less clear. Most newspapers have had a longstanding practice of removing published stories only under extraordinary circumstances. But does that still make sense in the digital era as the potential rises for damaging people's reputations with long ago or out-of-context accounts of their misdeeds?...

Jeff Domansky's insight:

It's a dilemma. The right to be forgotten or freedom of the press?

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Scooped by Jeff Domansky
March 3, 2017 11:31 AM
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An Open Letter From Two Global Journalists to President Donald Trump - MediaShift

An Open Letter From Two Global Journalists to President Donald Trump - MediaShift | Public Relations & Social Marketing Insight | Scoop.it

Dear President Trump,

 

As journalists and founders of a network of media professionals in over 180 countries, we are seriously concerned with your attacks on the news media and your disregard for the truth itself. Your attempt to discredit legitimate media organizations, as well as the barring of media companies from your press conferences last week, are an insult to our esteemed colleagues who risk their lives every day to report the truth, and to the United States Constitution you took an oath to defend.

 

Attacking the news media with a broad brush and attempting to delegitimize media outlets critical of the government is exactly how Hugo Chavez and Vladimir Putin began their presidencies. It was the first step they took in weakening democracy in Venezuela and Russia. By driving a wedge between the people and the media, and by using the power of the presidency to intimidate journalists, these leaders built corrupt, authoritarian regimes with few checks on their power and limited recourse against human rights violations.

 

Thanks to our Constitution, our deep cultural tradition of press freedom, and the surging desire of the American people to access quality journalism, those tactics will not work in the United States....

Jeff Domansky's insight:

Two journalists remind Trump and citizens why truth and freedom of the press matter. Let's never forget!

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