Formed 7/1/1985
Mission Statement
The Committee on Media Law shall consider all questions of public importance pertaining to First Amendment rights, access, freedom of information, government open meetings laws, media ownership, libel and privacy, privilege, confidentiality, advertising, fair trial/free press, and others.
In addition, the Committee on Media Law is charged with monitoring and evaluating developments applicable to the broad spectrum of matters encompassed by the electronic media industry and the rapidly developing technologies in the field of electronic communications. This includes discussion of current regulatory and other legal positions, policies and trends in the areas of conventional and subscription television broadcasting, radio broadcasting, telecasting via satellite communications, multi-point distribution or cable television, as well as other related programs or informational delivery systems.
The Committee shall cooperate with all existing Association committees having similar interests, including: Continuing Legal Education, Law Office Economics and Management, Public Access to Information and Proceedings. Where advisable, the Committee will cooperate with particular sections of the Association where areas for mutual sharing of interest and expertise may exist.
Committee Roster
Proposed Rule of the Commercial Division to Address the Sealing
of Court Records − Public Comment by NYSBA’s Committee on
Media Law
Upcoming CLE Programs
New York Fair Trial Free Press Conference 2019
Monday, October 21 | NYC
Wednesday, October 30 | Syracuse
2.0 MCLE Credits | 2.0 Areas of Professional Practice
Online On Demand Programs
New York Fair Trial Free Press Conference 2018
2.0 MCLE Credits | 2.0 Areas of Professional Practice
New York Fair Trial Free Press Conference 2017
2.0 MCLE Credits | 2.0 Areas of Professional Practice
Fair Trial/Free Press: From Both Sides of the Bench
A distinguished panel of federal and state judges, prosecutors, journalists, and defense and media counsel dissected a hypothetical case involving issues surrounding libel, invasion of privacy, criminal subpoenas and the press, social media, police body
cameras, cameras in the courtroom, press access to police actions and drones.
Fair trial, free press:
Hypothetically understanding rights
By Christina Couto
Drones, police body cameras, invasion of privacy and social media issues top the headlines daily. Not only do these issues make the news, the way they are handled by the media, police and even attorneys can become news. The State Bar’s Committee on Media Law invited a panel of attorneys, judges and members of the media, along with the commissioner of legal matters for the New York City Police Department (NYPD), to discuss what they would do in a hypothetical case involving
a variety of hot-button media law and privacy issues.
Please click here for the full article that appeared in the March/April 2016 issue of the
State Bar News.
