CHAPTER 12
TEST ITEMS
______________________________________________________________________
Multiple-Choice Questions
1. The First Amendment was designed to provide protection from
a. false ideas.
2. One of the main arguments justifying additional regulations imposed on broadcasting (as opposed to
print) is
d. the public service factor.
e. the chilling effect.
3. Speech and press protections for telephone systems, DBS, and the Internet
d. are the same as those afforded cable.
e. are nonexistent.
4. Which is an example of protected speech?
a. Defamation
5. In the 1964 Times v. Sullivan case, the Supreme Court ruled that
a. libel laws have a chilling effect on public officials.
179
6. In cases of invasion of privacy, entering someone’s home without his or her permission violates
d. protections from unauthorized use of one’s name or image for commercial gain.
e. protections from intentional infliction of emotional distress.
7. The 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision on obscenity (Miller v. California)
a. declared that any material, no matter how obscene, can be sold to individuals for use in the
privacy of their own homes.
8. The FCC based its ruling on the WBAI-FM Pacifica station broadcast of George Carlin’s “Filthy
Words” monologue on
a. libel law.
9. The equal-opportunities provision (Section 315)
a. prohibits political debates between candidates.
10. If a political candidate were to appear on a regularly scheduled interview or talk program, would his
or her opponent have to be allowed equal opportunities?
a. Yes, because interview shows are covered by Section 315.
11. Candidates who buy time one month before elections
a. may be charged the station’s highest rates.
b. must be charged the going rate, or whatever the time period will allow.
180
12. The Red Lion decision
a. gave legal standing to political action committees.
13. In 1987, key congressional legislators __________ elimination of the Fairness Doctrine.
a. strongly favored
14. In dealing with a Fairness Doctrine demand for access to editorial advertising, the Supreme Court
stated that broadcast stations
a. must grant time for all viewpoints having significant support in their communities.
15. Congress enacted specific program requirements in 1990 for
a. political broadcasts.
16. This law mandates that new television sets be equipped with a “V-chip.”
17. Key provisions of the Copyright Act of 1976 include all of the following except
a. definitions of copyrightable works.
18. Blanket licenses allow radio stations to
a. play only specific musical records.
181
19. Signal piracy concerns all of the following except
a. cable.
20. Which of the following does not describe regulators?
a. Seek government intervention
True/False Questions
2. All electronic media, including broadcast and cable, have parity with print media under the First
7. The Children’s Television Act of 1990 sets specific limits on advertising time in children’s
8. Fair use allows limited uses of copyrighted works without payment or permission for certain
Essay Questions
1. List the protections found in the First Amendment.
2. List the rationales for regulating broadcasting differently from print media.
3. Write a short essay that illustrates libel.
182