Review by Choice Review
In this volume Labunski, author of The First Amendment Under Siege: The Politics of Broadcast Regulation (CH, Apr '82), offers the results of his research and reflections on the topic of libel and the First Amendment. He follows an overview of the present situation, one of hostility to journalists in state and federal courts, with chapters in which he outlines the historical evolution of libel law, of constitutional interpretation of the First and Fourteenth Amendments, and of court procedures, jury attitudes, and lawyers' tactics. The last three chapters focus on the difficult questions growing out of the tension between freedom of journalistic expression and the rights to privacy and to protection against defamation. The book's strength lies in its extensive coverage of court cases, newspaper and radio/television practices, and in suggestions for reform contained especially in the last chapter. Sparse use of secondary sources in the legal literature and in constitutional commentaries result in a discussion of issues that does not match the level achieved in currently available casebooks. Notes at the end of each chapter and a short index complete the work. A useful introduction to a topic of growing importance. Recommended for all collections.-L. Weinstein, Smith College
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
