Cases in Communications Law (General Mass Communication) [Paperback]

John Zelezny (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0495902977 | ISBN-13: 978-0495902973 | Publication Date: January 11, 2010 | Edition: 6

This supplement provides landmark cases in communication law to help students better understand practical applications and real-world precedents for the laws they're studying. Most of the cases come from well-known Supreme Court cases with opinions edited for the common students' (as opposed to law students') use.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

John D. Zelezny, an attorney and senior public relations executive, has extensive experience in both academia and the professional world of communications. His varied career began as a small-town newspaper reporter in the 1970s, later encompassed 15 years as a professor of media law and journalism at three West Coast universities, and eventually led to his employment as a corporate executive and strategic communications adviser to CEOs and boards of directors. He is a member of The State Bar of California, and currently serves as senior vice president and chief communications officer for Community Medical Centers in Fresno, Calif. He is a frequent lecturer on communications law and the author of complex First Amendment problems for law-school advocacy competitions. Mr. Zelezny holds degrees from Humboldt State University and the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 294 pages
• Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing; 6 edition (January 11, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0495902977
• ISBN-13: 978-0495902973
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #68,675 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #5 in Books > Law > Intellectual Property > Communications

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Expensive Reprint of Free Information, December 17, 2006

By 

doomsdayer520 (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Cases in Communications Law (Paperback)

This book is a great example of the passive exploitation of the college textbook market. Publishers have perfected the art of having an expert slap together material that is not elaborated upon enough for advanced students, or which repackages information that can be obtained cheaply (or freely) elsewhere. Then the publisher can charge a grossly inflated price for the book, encourage professors to require it for students, then keep the price high by forcing scarcity in the marketplace for those same students who are forced to buy a copy at any cost. This particular book will only ever be purchased by college students in communications law, most of whom can get 99.9% of the knowledge herein for FREE. Here's the rub - this book is almost entirely made up of reprints of court case documents, which record the rulings and reasonings of judges. But if you are a college student - that is, a member of the only possible market demographic for this book - then your college probably offers free or inexpensive access to database services (such as LexisNexis or WestLaw) that compile this information for scholars.

In this book, the "author" Zelezny has supplied a brief introduction that is so brief as to be useless. Then each chapter has an introductory page that features a paragraph on the overall topic, followed by a list of one-sentence descriptions of why each of the selected cases is of interest. Then the court documents for each of the cases are simply reproduced (with some omissions that enhance brevity but damage full learning), and only a handful of those cases are supported by any explanatory introductions or conclusions from Zelezny. In short, Zelezny just barely tells you why he's reprinting information that is free elsewhere. Instead of buying this completely extraneous book, the student would be better served by simply learning which cases are considered classics in communications law, then reading the cases (plus their supporting documents to boot) on the computer network offered by the campus that holds the class that requires this book. Guess which one costs less. [~doomsdayer520~]

1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice, September 1, 2006

By 

"Roxanne" (Louisiana) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cases in Communications Law: Liberties, Restraints, and the Modern Media (with InfoTrac) (Paperback)

My book arrived within five days of placing my order, which was wonderful because I started class the very next day. There was some writing in it as described, but I don't care because it's a book, and as long as I can read the text, that's all that's really important. Anyway, the book was in great condition, it was the right edition, and it's easy to read. Thanks for the great service!