"Of the Press": Revisiting the Rights and Responsibilities of Journalists on the World Stage
Event Details
November 13-15, 2025
Southwestern Law School Campus
3050 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90010
Call for Papers
Now accepting submissions!
Abstract deadline July 20, 2025
AIRFARE AND HOTEL PROVIDED*
Submit an abstract (1500-word maximum) AND current CV to JIMEL@swlaw.edu
Concept Statement:
Does journalism merit exceptional treatment under law? Should it?
This Symposium seeks papers that address international or comparative legal protections afforded to journalists. In the United States, the law does not treat journalists any differently than non- journalists. The First Amendment also does not permit state-mandated credentialing or licensing. Even so, there are some in the U.S. who are calling for a revitalization of the First Amendment’s Press Clause, as a means to justify special protections for journalists.
Jurisdictions outside the U.S. may extend special rights and immunities (“privileges”) to journalists and editors—ones not available to non-journalists or citizen journalists. Some jurisdictions in Europe, for example, show a willingness to impose “social responsibility” duties on journalists and media generally. Media ethics may also be considered as relevant to the way in which courts apply the law to journalists. Though popularized by the Hutchins Commission in the 1940s, American free speech law has clearly rejected social responsibility theory. In an age of impending information disorder, is it time to revisit media social responsibility in the U.S.?
Manuscripts accepted for publication will appear in the Journal of International Media & Entertainment Law, a peer-reviewed, faculty-edited publication of the Biederman Entertainment, Media and Sports Law Institute at Southwestern Law School, produced in cooperation with the American Bar Association’s Forum of Communications Law and the ABA’s Forum on the Entertainment and Sports Industries.
Submit an Abstract (1500-word maximum) and current CV to jimel@swlaw.edu by July 20, 2025.
*For authors with a completed manuscript who accept JIMEL’s written offer of publication, the Conference will defray the costs of pre-approved roundtrip flights originating in North America or from international points of origin and two nights’ room and tax at the designated “Conference Hotel” in Los Angeles.
The full reimbursement policy can be found at www.swlaw.edu/JIMELReimbursement.
JIMEL’s submission requirements can be found at www.swlaw.edu/jimelsubmissions.
Scholars not completing a manuscript or not accepting JIMEL’s publication offer may travel to Los Angeles to present their accepted paper at their own expense. Some participants may have the option to participate in the conference remotely. Southwestern Law School reserves the right to move the Conference date or to transition it to an online-only event.