Libel Law Seminar

First Amendment expert Bruce Brown and Gregg Leslie, legal defense director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, on Monday, Nov. 15 will bring to light what journalists must know about defamation in the new media world.

The two attorneys will discuss recent developments and upcoming conflicts in libel and privacy law, especially in the context of new technologies that have revolutionized mass media. Working journalists, students and others will learn concrete lessons about protecting oneself against libel litigation.

Brown is a partner at Baker & Hostetler, where his practice focuses on representing newspaper and other media clients. A graduate of Stanford and Yale Law School, Brown is also a former reporter with the Legal Times and other periodicals. He is an adjunct faculty member with the Georgetown University Master's in Professional Studies in Journalism program.

Leslie has been a staff attorney with the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press since 1994, and legal defense director since 2000. He is a graduate of the Georgetown University Law Center, and currently chairs the D.C. Bar's Media Law Committee.

The presentation begins at 9:30 a.m. and concludes at 11 a.m. at the National Press Club. There is no charge, but reservations are required at [email protected].
It is the fifth in a year-long series of programs on "Investigative Reporting in the New Media Environment," sponsored by the National Press Club Library and the National Press Club's Professional Development Committee.

The program is conducted with the generous assistance of a grant from the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation.