For JOURN 563 (Law of Mass Communication), I co-created “Sound Advice,” a comprehensive digital resource and mini-podcast series designed to empower podcasters to protect their First Amendment rights and prevent libel claims. This project directly applies complex legal principles to the rapidly growing audio industry, providing specialized guidance for high-risk genres like true crime, politics, and celebrity gossip. Our solution, comprising a user-friendly website with libel decision charts, case studies, and interactive toolkits, demonstrates an ability to translate intricate legal concepts (censorship, invasion of privacy, commercial speech) into actionable advice, ensuring creators can speak freely and responsibly.
Click here to visit the Sound Advice Website
Sound Advice Pitch Deck
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Sound Advice: True Crime Podcast Ep.
Case Study 1:
Parker v. Spotify USA
“Son of a Hitman” is a limited series about hitman Charles Harrelson. The host, Jason Cavanaugh, interviewed Dr. Chrysanthe Parker, a witness from Harrelson’s trial. Parker discussed her involvement in the trial, and the content was posted in one of the episodes. Parker then brought suit against Cavanaugh, Spotify, High Five Content and Trade Alternative for defamation and fraudulent inducement, claiming that they took her words out of context and manipulated the recording to make it seem like she either knew about or took part in fabrication of evidence. She claimed she was never informed that Harrelson’s sons, Jordan and Brett, were included in the podcast. And finally, she claimed the show profited off sensationalization at the expense of her reputation.
Our advice: Issue disclaimers!
Case Study 2:
Elias v. Rolling Stone LLC
A girl by the name of “Jackie” was a student at the University of Virginia that was beaten and raped by several men who belonged to a fraternity house in 2012. The story resurfaced in 2014 when Rolling Stone journalist Sabrina Rubin Erdely sought to tell Jackie’s story and bring awareness to the sexual assault women face on college campuses. Erdely claimed she reached out to sources when she went on a podcast to further talk about the case. Nicholas Elias, a student at UVA, was among those allegedly connected to the case. He was one of the men mentioned by Erdely. Elias filed suit for defamation. He claimed that the claims made damaged his reputation and caused him emotional distress
The podcasters where Erdely made the claim not held liable. Erdely did however face suit for defamatory statements made against Elias in the article and later on in 2016 from the UVA Dean.
Our advice: Exercise caution with confidential statements!
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