Deck 12: Communication Law and Regulation in the Digital Age

Question 1

__________ is very much an American invention; most other countries have no such stipulation in their constitutions.

A) The First Amendment
B) The fourth estate
C) The freedom of the press
D) The Golden Mean

Answer 1

A

Question 2

When printing began during the Renaissance in Europe, political as well as religious authorities were quick to recognize the __________ in spreading not only religious teachings but political edicts as well.

A) the influence of the church
B) commercial powers of the bourgeoisie
C) will of the people
D) power of publishing

Answer 2

D

Question 3

President Thomas Jefferson expressed the value of press freedom from governmental control in which of the following statements?

A) "Information is the currency of democracy."
B) "The Bill of Rights should rule our country."
C) "The pen is mightier than the sword."
D) "The First Amendment is our truly American birthright."

Answer 3

A

Question 4

In the spirit of Thomas Jefferson, it is fair to say that the press is still __________ government and other powerful institutions in society.

A) a political authority over
B) a protected domain of
C) an anti-defamation force overseeing
D) a critical watchdog of
E) a regulator of

Question 5

Which of the following is one of four provisions for children's programming identified in the Children's Television Act (CTA)?

A) Educational programming must run on Saturdays.
B) Programming must be designed primarily to address children's educational and information needs.
C) A certain percentage of programming must feature science subjects.
D) A certain percentage of programming must feature Spanish-language (or other multilingual) components.

Question 6

If Johnny Depp, Kristen Stewart, or Justin Bieber, for example, wants to sue successfully for libel, they will need to prove __________.

A) actual defamation
B) actual malice
C) reasonable knowledge of defamation
D) reasonable knowledge of malice

Question 7

In the 1971 case of New York Times Co. v. United States, the Supreme Court overturned a lower court ruling that had stopped the Times from publishing __________.

A) The Watergate Report
B) The Nuclear Bomb Manual
C) The Pentagon Papers
D) "The H-Bomb Secret"

Question 8

__________ are intended to protect journalists from legal challenges to their freedom to report the news.

A) Prior restraint rules
B) Shield laws
C) The Hays Code principles
D) Fair use guidelines

Question 9

How many states in the United States have enacted laws to protect journalists from having to answer every subpoena?

A) 34
B) 26
C) 17
D) 51

Question 10

The U.S. government has extended full First Amendment protection only to __________.

A) print media
B) broadcast media
C) telecommunications media
D) public broadcasting stations

Question 11

Media publications banning controversial images of Muhammad after the Islamist terrorist attacks on Charlie Hebdo is an example of __________.

A) prior restraint
B) cyberbullying
C) a chilling effect
D) surveillance

Question 12

In 2016, Apple complied with the demand of the government of __________ that it no longer make __________ mobile app available for iTunes download in their country.

A) North Korea/Newsweek
B) Russia/USA Today
C) India/the Wall Street Journal
D) China/the New York Times

Question 13

What are the principal duties of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)?

A) Regulating cable TV and satellite channels
B) Regulating net neutrality with Internet service providers
C) Allocating new broadcast radio and television stations and renewing licenses of existing stations
D) Licensing TV and radio networks

Question 14

The First Amendment in the United States guarantees that Congress shall make no laws restricting freedom of __________.

A) the right to vote
B) the right to bear arms
C) liberty and property
D) speech, press, or religion

Question 15

Fearing government censorship, the U.S. movie industry invented which guidelines to regulate and censor itself?

A) The Obscenity Code
B) The Telecommunications Act
C) The Hays Code
D) The Paramount decision

Question 16

How does slander differ from libel?

A) Slander is a type of defamation that is spoken.
B) Slander is an attack on a person's character.
C) Slander involves damage to property.
D) Slander is a type of defamation that is broadcast.

Question 17

Which is an important phrase in the definition of indecent speech?

A) Appeals to prurient interest
B) Shows or describes in an offensive manner sexual conduct
C) Lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value
D) Describes, in terms patently offensive as measured by contemporary community standards community standards for the broadcast medium, sexual or excretory organs or activities

Question 18

What act of Congress established the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)?

A) The Telecommunications Act of 1996
B) The Radio Act of 1927
C) The World Wide Web Decree of 2002
D) The Communications Act of 1934

Question 19

In Reno v. ACLU, the U.S. Supreme Court found which provisions of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 unconstitutional?

A) Anti-discrimination provisions
B) Anti-decency provisions
C) Anti-slander provisions
D) Anti-monopoly provisions

Question 20

Which of the following does the FCC regulate?

A) Ridicule based on an individual's race
B) Objectionable jokes based on an individual's religion
C) Criticism of an individual based on gender
D) False information regarding a crime or catastrophe

Question 21

The Communications Act of 1934 established regulations based on the notion of __________.

A) multimodality
B) digital convergence
C) spectrum scarcity
D) global expansion

Question 22

A computer device that enables parents or any other viewer to program a TV set to block access to programs containing violent or sexual content based on the program rating is known as the __________.

A) V-chip
B) S-chip
C) O-chip
D) I-chip

Question 23

__________ occur(s) when the government prevents or blocks the publication, broadcasting, showing, or distribution of media content, whether in print, over the air, in movie theaters, or online.

A) Net neutrality
B) Prior restraint
C) Shield laws
D) Libel

Question 24

In the McCarthy-era 1950s, psychologist Fredric Wertham, MD, concluded that reading __________ caused juvenile delinquency and illiteracy.

A) tabloid newspapers
B) gothic mysteries
C) romance novels
D) comic books

Question 25

Indecent speech was put to the test in a landmark First Amendment case involving comedian __________.

A) Andrew Dice Clay
B) Phyllis Diller
C) George Carlin
D) Richard Pryor

Question 26

Criticism of some early 1920s films centered on depictions of __________.

A) nudity
B) drug use
C) violence
D) criminal acts

Question 27

Which form of speech is not protected by the First Amendment and is subject to government censorship?

A) Obscenity
B) Stereotypes
C) Profanity
D) Blasphemy

Question 28

In April 2002, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down provisions in the Child Pornography Prevention Act of 1996, which made it a crime to create, distribute, or possess __________ child pornography.

A) graphic
B) explicit
C) virtual
D) violent

Question 29

One of the first regulations of broadcasting in the United States, the Radio Act of 1912 made it a legal requirement that __________.

A) all ships have radio transmitters
B) large ships carry satellite transmitters on board
C) each maritime vessel be equipped with a Morse code machine
D) all large ships maintain radio contact with other ships or shore stations

Question 30

During the 1910s, most radio broadcasters in the United States were __________.

A) commercial airplane pilots
B) amateur technology enthusiasts
C) professional newscasters
D) merchant sailors

Question 31

A copyright is in effect for the lifetime of the actual author, plus __________ years.

A) 30
B) 50
C) 70
D) 90

Question 32

The Telecommunications Act of 1996, the first major regulatory overhaul of telecommunications since 1934, was designed to __________.

A) increase competition and increase regulation
B) decrease competition and decrease regulation
C) increase regulation and decrease competition
D) decrease regulation and increase competition

Question 33

Since the passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, there has been dramatic growth in __________.

A) concentration of media ownership
B) distribution of virtual pornography
C) restrictions on broadband content
D) space for global advertising

Question 34

The possibility of global hits such as The Simpsons and NCIS can be explained in part by the EU's steady trends of liberalization and __________ in radio and television.

A) manipulation
B) monopolization
C) regulation
D) privatization

Question 35

Which Asian country has a stronger degree of control over electronic media than the European Union or the United States?

A) Japan
B) Singapore
C) India
D) South Korea

Question 36

You have just finished writing the Great American Novel (a personal assessment not shared by your Creative Writing professor). At this stage, what next step will best help you legally protect your work?

A) Find a literary agent who will obtain the appropriate legal protection that varies with the genre of the book
B) Apply for a patent with the U.S. Patent Office
C) Insert a © symbol along with a date and your name
D) Register it with the U.S. Copyright Office

Question 37

Falsely shouting "fire" in a crowded theater is a restriction on speech known as the __________ test.

A) fairness doctrine
B) equal time
C) clear and present danger
D) fair use

Question 38

Although not prohibited, __________ is subject to federal regulation.

A) political satire
B) religious parody
C) racial stereotyping
D) indecent speech

Question 39

In 1798, the Federalist-controlled U.S. Congress passed the Alien and Sedition Acts in response to __________.

A) newspaper content critical of the king of England
B) the threat of war with France
C) the Federalists' desire to maintain control of Congress
D) the growing political influence of immigrant groups in the colonies

Question 40

Who was Peter Zenger?

A) A candidate for the first presidency of the United States
B) A member of Congress who fought for press freedoms
C) A New York printer and journalist whose successful libel suit established a precedent for freedom of the press in early America
D) The first media mogul in the thirteen colonies

Question 41

Copyright, patents, and trademarks are categories of __________ law.

A) criminal defense
B) intellectual property
C) communications
D) appellate

Question 42

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is critical of media companies for their efforts to __________.

A) limit the capabilities of new technologies in order to increase their corporate revenues
B) aid covert government surveillance
C) support those interested in free file sharing.
D) expand their global markets without concern for cultural imperialism

Question 43

In 2016, a judge upheld Hulk Hogan's $140 million lawsuit settlement against Gawker for __________.

A) slander
B) libel
C) violation of privacy
D) copyright infringement

Question 44

Which of the following examples would likely qualify as "fair use"?

A) A twenty-line excerpt from a new Harry Potter book in a book review
B) A photo still from Stranger Things published in a popular textbook on media convergence
C) Five lines from a ten-line poem written by Margaret Atwood, a contemporary writer, published in a commercial literary magazine
D) A short clip from the latest Star Wars film posted by a fan on YouTube

Question 45

Over time, the Supreme Court has used the __________ Amendment, which addresses equal protection under the law, to develop a concept of privacy a citizen should expect.

A) First
B) Second
C) Fourth
D) Fourteenth

Question 46

What is digital rights management (DRM)?

A) Use of technology to rein in copyright infringement of digital content
B) Organization of all your media for optimal use
C) Specialization in law pertaining to digital media
D) Specific application of the First Amendment to digital media

Question 47

Although rarely permitted in the United States, __________ is routine in countries with authoritarian regimes that prohibit criticism of the government.

A) media convergence
B) discrimination
C) censorship
D) sedition

Question 48

In his book Mass Media Law, Don Pember argues for "preferred-position balancing theory" when striking a balance between __________ and other rights.

A) speech
B) the right to bear arms
C) religion
D) political freedom

Question 49

Which media pioneer is widely credited with creating the field of legal journalism?

A) F. Lee Bailey
B) Anthony Lewis
C) Gloria Allred
D) Perry Mason

Question 50

Why have government efforts to control information become more difficult?

Question 51

Explain the concept of the "fourth estate."

Question 52

When can the government use prior restraint?

Question 53

What does the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) require for drones?

Question 54

Explain how a new provision signed into law by President Trump in April 2017 affects the privacy of Internet users.

Question 55

Describe the chilling effect in the context of media.

Question 56

Define obscenity in the context of media content.

Question 57

Explain how journalists are protected against libel in the United States.

Question 58

Describe the Children's Television Act (CTA).