Media Law and Journalism: Protecting Democracy's Safeguards

Vermont Law Review Symposium

Vermont Law School

September 15, 2017

Note: Although registration has closed online, you are still welcomed to come to the event. You can check-in at the registration desk for the day but lunch will not be available. Thank you and hope to see you tomorrow. 

“[T]he right of freely examining public characters and measures, and of free communication thereon, is the only effectual guardian of every other right . . .” – James Madison, 1800

Join the Vermont Law Review in our annual symposium as we examine the constitutional role of the free press in safeguarding American democracy. Our distinguished cast of speakers will tackle the various legal barriers modern journalists face in informing the public as well as the roadblocks preventing public access to the free flow of information. General Counsel Lynn Oberlander of Gizmodo Media Group will give our keynote address, and panel discussions will include: FOIA Litigation and Defending Against Private Litigation; Whistleblowers, Leakers, and National Security; and Role of Fake News, Propaganda, and Disinformation.

The 2017 Vermont Law Review Symposium includes:

8:30 to 9:15 a.m. Registration and Breakfast

9:15 to 9:30 a.m. Welcome and Opening Remarks
-Amanda Quinlan JD'18, Editor in Chief, Vermont Law Review

- Sylvia Duluc-Silva JD’18, Symposium Editor, Vermont Law Review

- Elliot Rosenbaum JD’18, Symposium Editor, Vermont Law Review
- Tom McHenry, President and Dean, Vermont Law School
- Peter Teachout, Professor of Law, Vermont Law School

9:30 to 9:45 a.m. “Foundational Legal Principles: The Constitutional, Statutory, and Common Laws and Rules Concerning Press Access to Information”
- Stephen Dycus, Professor of Law, Vermont Law School

9:45 to 11 a.m. Panel I: “Obstacles to Gaining Access to Information: FOIA Litigation and Defending Against Private Litigation” 

Moderator: Anne Galloway, Founder and Editor, VTDigger
Panelists:
- Victoria Baranetsky, Attorney, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
- Megan Hunter JD’14, Attorney, Fair Shake Environmental Legal Services
- Lynn Oberlander, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Gizmodo Media Group

11 to 11:15 a.m. Morning Break

11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m . Panel II: “Whistleblowers, Leakers, and National Security”
Moderator: Kathleen Clark, Professor of Law, Washington University School of Law
Panelists:
- Stephen Dycus, Professor of Law, Vermont Law School
- Heidi Kitrosser, Professor of Law, University of Minnesota Law School
- Sudha Setty, Professor of Law, Western New England University School of Law
- Mary-Rose Papandrea, Professor of Law, University of North Carolina School of Law

12:30 to 1 p.m . Lunch

1 to 2 p.m. The Lunchtime Keynote Address
Introduction: Jennifer Taub, Professor of Law, Vermont Law School
Keynote Speaker: Lynn Oberlander, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Gizmodo Media Group

2:15 to 3:30 p.m. Panel III: “The Role of Fake News, Propaganda, and Disinformation”
Moderator:
Jennifer Taub, Professor of Law, Vermont Law School
Panelists:
- Matthew Baum, Professor of Global Communications and Professor of Public Policy, John F. Kennedy School of Government and Department of Government, Harvard University
- Tamara Piety, Professor of Law, University of Tulsa School of Law
- Brent Kendall, Legal Affairs Reporter, The Wall Street Journal

- Lili Levi, Professor of Law, University of Miami School of Law 

3:30 to 3:45 p.m. Closing Remarks

The 2017 Vermont Law Review Symposium is cosponsored by VTDigger, a statewide news website that publishes watchdog reports on government, politics, consumer affairs, business and public policy. For more information about the symposium and continuing legal education (CLE) credit, email Elliot Rosenbaum at ElliotRosenbaum@vermontlaw.edu or Sylvia Duluc-Silva JD’18 at SylviaDulucSilva@vermontlaw.edu. Preregistration is encouraged to reserve lunch.