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

Former journalist Gajda's (law, Tulane Univ.; The Trials of Academe) timely book addresses threats to freedom of the press in the age of blogging and digital news sources. Chapter 1 examines the courts' relationship with the press at the turn of the 20th century through the 1960s and 1970s. Succeeding chapters examine the rise of the Internet and its impact on traditional media. As alternative media sources have increased financial pressures on media companies and the definition of journalism and the concept of privacy have become looser, the public has become more wary of the press and the courts have also begun to treat the media with more scrutiny. Gajda argues that the press should take responsibility for its ethics, while courts must safeguard free speech. Each section uses recent court cases and anecdotes to explore the balance between free speech and privacy and the importance of each of these rights.