TAB newsroom legal guide sheds light on Texas’ newsgathering laws

TAB’s Newsroom Legal Guide provides your station’s news staff with a handy desktop reference on specific federal and Texas laws affecting newsgathering.

Attorneys with TAB’s Texas legal counsel, Jackson Walker LLP, under the direction of Paul Watler, a nationally-known media law attorney specialist with the firm, prepared the legal guide.

This guide offers a general discussion of legal principles and considerations affecting Texas broadcasters in gathering and reporting the news, including:

• Libel and related concepts
• Privacy 
• Texas Free Flow of Information Act (Texas media shield law) and source issues
• Citizen Participation Act (Texas Anti-SLAPP law) as a means of lawsuit dismissal
• First Amendment protection for the newsroom
• Federal and state Freedom of Information laws 
• FCC regulations affecting broadcast newsrooms
• New media / social media / station website issues
• Court coverage
• Crime coverage
• Education and school coverage issues
• HIPAA and healthcare-related considerations in reporting
• Investigative coverage
• Political coverage issues

View and download the guide

Questions?  Contact TAB’s Michael Schneider or call (512) 322-9944.