Or a class like it. And I don't just mean "everyone" as in every student at Ithaca College, which requires the course for journalism, integrated marketing communications and television-radio majors. I mean everyone who uses the Internet, or a cell phone, or a TV. Arguably, that could be broadly defined as everyone.
Because in September 2007, communications giant Verizon blocked a text-message subscription service by NARAL, a pro-abortion rights group. "Subscription" is key here — people had to sign up for the service, so they could only receive the texts voluntarily. In its rejection, Verizon cited its policy against services that may be seen as "controversial or unsavory" to Verizon users.
But, as anyone who has taken a basic course in media law will know, unprotected speech — under the U.S. constitution — includes only "lewd or obscene" speech; not merely "controversial or unsavory."
The bigwigs at Verizon must not have felt too strongly about the issue because all it took was some reporting by The New York Times for the company to take back its ban (the same day the Times first reported on the ban, actually). Good thing, because from what little I know about the ins and outs of the court system of this country, ridiculous amounts of time and money could have been wasted in pushing a hypothetical court case all the way to the Supreme Court, just for the majority to rule in favor of the simple point I just made.
Did I enjoy waking up at 7 a.m. every Tuesday and Thursday to sit in a class and listen to a professor lecture on about media law ad nauseum for nearly two hours? Not always. Am I glad I did? Absolutely.
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