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56. Which of the following is not part of the legal definition of obscenity?
A) The work as a whole must appeal to prurient interest.
B) The work as a whole must lack serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.
C) The work must depict or describe dirty words and brutal violence.
D) The work must depict sexual conduct in a patently offensive way.
E) All of the options are correct.
57. The U.S. Supreme Court’s standards for judging something as obscene include which of
the following?
A) The average person, applying community standards, would find that the material as
a whole appeals to prurient interest.
B) The material depicts sexual conduct in a patently offensive way.
C) The material as a whole lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.
D) The work as a whole must be judged obscene.
E) All of the options are correct.
58. Most battles over ______ are now online, where the global reach of the Internet has
eclipsed the concept of community standards.
A) libel
B) obscenity
C) slander
D) shield laws
E) None of the options are correct.
59. Which of the following actions by the media is not a violation of the usual rights of
privacy for a private citizen?
A) Taping or photographing a person in their home or other private space
B) Sharing health records
C) Using a person’s image or quote in a news story without consent
D) Disclosing information about religion, sexual activities, or personal activities
E) Using a person’s image or name, without consent, in advertisements or
endorsements
60. The ______ extended privacy protection to computer-stored data and the Internet.
A) Privacy Act of 1974
B) Miller v. California case of 1973
C) USA PATRIOT Act of 2001
D) Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986
E) All of the options are correct.
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61. In 2001, the ______ weakened privacy laws and gave the federal government more
latitude in searching private citizens’ records and intercepting electronic communications
without a court order.
A) USA PATRIOT Act
B) Privacy Act
C) Fair Use Law
D) Shield Law
E) First Amendment
62. In 1912, in the first type of national action limiting the film industry, the U.S.
government banned the interstate commerce of which kinds of films?
A) Pornographic films
B) Boxing films
C) German films
D) Films endorsing anarchy
E) Films about labor unions
63. The U.S. government banned boxing films from being transported from state to state in
1912 because of concerns about ______.
A) children watching the violent images of boxing
B) people betting on the fights
C) images of the first black heavyweight being perceived as a threat by the white
community
D) the movies making the “low–class” sport too popular
E) All of the options are correct.
64. In the Mutual v. Ohio (1915) decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that film was a
______.
A) “business pure and simple”
B) “means for public discourse”
C) “legitimate form of free speech”
D) “blight on creative expression”
E) All of the options are correct.
65. Adopted by 95 percent of the movie industry during most of the 1930s, 1940s, and
1950s, the Motion Picture Production Code would have allowed ______.
A) showing a minister of religion as the hero of a story
B) a scene ridiculing a Catholic priest
C) a scene with lots of passionate kissing
D) comedy classified as “toilet humor”
E) a joke about a traveling salesman and a farmer’s daughter
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66. The ______ case in 1952 determined that film should be protected as a form of free
speech.
A) Burstyn v. Wilson
B) Mutual v. Ohio
C) New York Times v. Sullivan
D) Progressive
E) Pentagon Papers
67. The U.S. movie rating system is an example of ______.
A) industry self-regulation
B) censorship
C) state regulation
D) FCC guidelines
E) federal regulation
68. In 1984, the PG-13 movie rating was added, in part, because which of the following two
popular films were considered too violent and disturbing for children under thirteen?
A) Amadeus / This Is Spinal Tap
B) Gremlins / The Terminator
C) The Terminator / The Killing Fields
D) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom / Gremlins
E) The Killing Fields / Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
69. Because of fears about the spread of communism in the 1950s and the tactics of
lawmakers such as Senator Joseph McCarthy, TV networks started asking actors and other
workers to ______.
A) hold controversial political views in order to get and keep their jobs
B) sign loyalty oaths denouncing communism
C) defend themselves in a court of law from accusations of being communists
D) stop working in television and radio
E) None of the options are correct.
70. Performers, writers, or producers who did not bow to pressure from people like Senator
Joseph McCarthy and found themselves blacklisted as part of the communist “witch–hunts” of
the 1950s ______.
A) were sent to special camps to protect the public
B) could only work for minimum wage
C) lost their jobs and any chance of getting hired
D) could only work for Red Channels, an anticommunist radio and television show
E) None of the options are correct.
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71. The Communications Act of 1934 mandated that radio broadcasters operate in the
“public interest, convenience, and necessity” based on which of the following arguments?
A) Radio stations are funded by the government and therefore should serve the public.
B) Limited broadcast signals constitute a scarce national resource.
C) Minors have unrestricted access to the radio.
D) The government should be able to control broadcasting the way it controls the print
media.
E) All of the options are correct.
72. In the 1960s, radio programming that featured deejays and callers discussing intimate
sexual topics was called ______.
A) dirty radio
B) topless radio
C) pirate radio
D) commercial radio
E) night radio
73. Which of the following statements about the FCC and “fleeting expletives” in live TV
shows is not true?
A) The FCC fining flurry was partially in response to campaigns against Howard
Stern’s vulgarity and the Janet Jackson exposed-breast incident.
B) In 2006, Congress increased the FCC’s maximum allowable fine to $325,000 per
incident.
C) In 2010, a federal appeals court rejected the FCC’s policy on the basis that it was
too vague.
D) In 2010, a federal appeals court rejected Congress’s increase of the FCC’s maximum
allowable fine.
E) All of the options are correct.
74. Who came up with the “seven dirty words” comedy routine that landed a radio station in
hot water with the FCC and resulted in rules about what times of the day a broadcaster can air
“adult” material?
A) Jerry Seinfeld
B) George Carlin
C) Janeane Garofalo
D) Robin Williams
E) Lenny Bruce
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75. Section 315 of the 1934 Communications Act requires broadcast stations to ______.
A) cover all sides of a controversy
B) give all qualified political candidates an equal opportunity to obtain airtime
C) provide response time for individuals attacked in a broadcast editorial
D) provide educational programming for children
E) serve the public interest of their audiences
76. The idea of net neutrality refers to ______.
A) laws that keep Internet providers from supporting a political candidate or party
B) the fact that the early design of the Internet happened in Switzerland
C) the belief that government should allow Internet providers to allow or block any
content they want
D) the belief that all wired Internet providers should be required to provide the same
access to all Internet services and content
E) None of the options are correct.
77. One way to understand net neutrality is as a debate between which of the following
groups?
A) Those who think the government needs to guarantee equal speed and access for all
Internet services and content, and those who think the government should let companies
charge whatever they want
B) Those who think the Internet is an essential utility like water or electricity (and
needs more regulation), and those who think of it as an information service like cable TV
(and needs less regulation)
C) Those who want to see the FCC continue to push for strong net neutrality rules, and
those who want to overturn the regulations that do exist
D) Those who want the same rules for broadband and wireless connections, and those
who think wireless connections should be exempt from certain rules
E) All of the options are correct.
78. The ________________________ model for journalism and speech tolerates little public
dissent or criticism of government.
79. The ________________________ model for journalism and speech places control in the
hands of government, which speaks for ordinary citizens and workers in order to serve the
common goals of the state.
80. The ________________________ model for journalism and speech encourages vigorous
government criticism and supports the highest degree of freedom for individual speech and news
operations.
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81. The ________________________ Estate is what the press is called when it operates as
an unofficial branch of government, monitoring the legislative, judicial, and executive branches
for abuses of power.
82. ________________________ restraint is the legal definition of censorship in the United
States.
83. Charles T. Schenck was found guilty of violating the ________________________ Act.
84. ________________________ is the legal right of authors and producers to own and
control the use of their published or unpublished writing, music, and lyrics; TV programs and
movies; or graphic art designs.
85. When a copyright period expires, the work is said to enter the
________________________.
86. In media law, ________________________ is the defamation of character in written or
broadcast expression.
87. In libel law, ________________________ refers to a reckless disregard for the truth,
such as when a reporter or an editor knows that a statement is false and prints or airs it anyway.
88. The ________________________ is the agency that regulates broadcasting in the United
States.
89. Part of the 1934 Communications Act, ________________________ mandates that
during elections, broadcast stations must provide equal opportunities and response time for
qualified political candidates.
90. Repealed in 1987, the ________________________ Doctrine required broadcast stations
to both air and engage in controversial-issue programs that affected their communities and,
when offering such programming, to provide competing points of view.
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91. ________________________ required Internet providers to provide the same access to
all Internet services and content.
92. Private individuals must prove falsehood, damages, and negligence to win a(n) _____
case.
93. _____is generally defined as prior restraint of public communication.
94. _____ law was intended to make sure authors and producers can earn money from their
original work.
95. Parody versions of songs, such as those by Weird Al Yankovic, are legal because of the
_____ exception.
96. Prosecutors can legally accuse defendants of crimes in court because of _____.
97. Explain the philosophical underpinnings of the First Amendment.
98. How has censorship been defined historically?
99. What was the name and purpose of a law passed in 1798 that caused the American
public to support the idea of freedom of the press? How did this result compare with the
intention of the law?
100. Why is the case of New York Times v. Sullivan so significant in First Amendment
history?
101. Name and briefly explain at least three of the legal limitations on free speech.
102. How does the controversy over WikiLeaks’ release of thousands of confidential U.S.
government documents relate to issues of censorship and free speech?
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103. What is the cultural significance of the public domain, and why do some entities want to
keep works from entering it?
104. What was the rationale behind the first copyright laws? Have those laws changed over
time, and if so, in what ways?
105. What are the consequences of not having a federal shield law for journalists?
106. Are there other kinds of censorship besides censorship by the government? Explain.
107. How did the anticommunist campaign led by Senator Joseph McCarthy impact freedom
of speech and expression in the United States? Give two examples.
108. What is net neutrality and why do supporters say it’s important?
109. Which is more important to a democracy — a right to free speech or a right not to be
offended? Which court cases seem to support or argue against your position?
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Answer Key
1. B
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45. D
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