Media & Communications Law.

• Author: Joeveer, Mamie C.
• Position: Annual Reports of Committees of the Florida Bar: 2018-2019

The Media & Communications Law Committee (MCLC) shares information about free speech and communication, exploring legal issues on a range of communications methods, including print, broadcast, cable, and emerging technologies. MCLC seeks to enhance the communication between The Florida Bar and the news media, focusing attention upon mutual problems and developing amicable solutions to those problems. The committee plans the annual Reporters' Workshop, coordinates the annual Media Awards and produces the online Reporter's Handbook. This year the committee introduced a new Education and Outreach Committee. The MCLC was also selected, for the first time, to have a seminar featured as the President's Showcase at The Florida Bar Annual Convention.

Chair Mamie Joeveer, launched the Education and Outreach Subcommittee. Its goal includes organizing CLE, speaking events, seminars, and webinars of related to media law and First Amendment issues. The MCLC submitted their first project, a proposal for the 2019 President's Showcase. The topic: "Fake News, the First Amendment and Defamation--The Power of the Pen." The committee recommended the showcase as "a series of panel discussions which includes an esteemed group representing the judiciary, local and national media law attorneys, journalists, and law professors." Our expert panelists have represented both plaintiffs and defendants in high-profile defamation cases, such as Hulk Hogan v. Gawker, led the fight in human rights cases dealing with First Amendment issues, and have made high-level editorial decisions in the newsroom. This collaboration with The Florida Bar Annual Convention will be mutually beneficial as it will attract a sizeable audience and serve as a central platform and roundtable forum for leading experts to discuss questions about "liberty, freedom of the press, and free speech."

Craig Waters, communications counsel for the Florida Supreme Court, chaired the 29th Reporters' Workshop. He called this year's Reporters' Workshop "one of the best." Twenty-one journalists from around the state participated in the two-day workshop on legal reporting in Florida.

The 63rd Annual Florida Bar Media Awards, chaired by Sam Morley, general counsel of The Florida Press Association, are presented to recognize outstanding legal journalism. Qualified entries consist of stories that highlight the...