The Right of Reply to the Media in the United States - Resistance and Resurgance

Authors

Jerome A. Barron

Abstract

What is the present status of rights of reply and access in the United States? Although there is still no formal right of reply to the print media, efforts continue to create a right of reply to defamatory attack and to enact vindication statutes. Recent developments such as television talk shows and call-in radio demonstrate a renewed interest by the public in reply and access. There is a public effort to leap over the media and to participate directly in the opinion process. These developments are exemplified by the presidential campaigns of Ross Perot and Bill Clinton. Finally, the public access channels in cable television represent the most vivid success yet of the movement for reply and access. This article shows that at the same time that the movement for the establishment of such a right has encountered resistance on a formal level, it has demonstrated remarkable vitality and is currently undergoing a resurgence.

Recommended Citation

Jerome A. Barron, The Right of Reply to the Media in the United States - Resistance and Resurgance, 15 UC Law SF Comm. & Ent. L.J. 1 (1992).
Available at: https://repository.uclawsf.edu/hastings_comm_ent_law_journal/vol15/iss1/1