The Jurisprudence of RatingsBenjamin N. Cardozo School of Law/ Yeshiva University.
Sponsored by The Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal and The Howard M. Squadron Program for Law, Media and Society in conjunction with The Columbia Institute for Tele-Information.
The United States is in the midst of a rush to increase reliance on systems of labeling, ratings, and classifications of information, largely concerning questions of violence, profanity, and sexual content. Amidst the proliferation of legislative proposals, industry responses, and private group activity, a new jurisprudence may be emerging, a rethinking of the relationship between individual listener and industrial speaker and the relationship between government and manufacturer of information. These tendencies are heightened by recent federal telecommunications legislation that ushers in the era of the V-chip and Internet content regulation.
Our conference-in the wake of these developments-brings together top policymakers, industry representatives, and academicians to explore commonalities and differences in assumptions among media players. The conference is structured with roundtable/panels that will examine three themes:
- contrasting private approaches to ratings and classifications systems
- assumptions concerning the impact of ratings on audiences
- implications for the First Amendment.
In this conference, occurring at an historic time in terms of government policy and industry activity, experts from all sectors will present their views and audience participation is encouraged.
The conference was supported, in part, through the generosity of the John and Mary R. Markle Foundation.
10:00am Welcome and Opening Remarks
Frank J. Macchiarola, Dean, Cardozo School of Law
Professor Monroe E. Price, Conference Chair
Professor Eli M. Noam, Director, Columbia Institute for Tele-Information
10:15am-12:00pm Comparing Modern Media Rating and Labeling Systems: Videogame, Motion Picture, Recording, Cable, Cyberspace, and Broadcasting Industries
1:00pm The Recipient and the Sender: The Semiotics of Ratings
2:30pm-4:15pm Ratings and Reconceptualizing the First Amendment: The Notion of Self-Regulation vs. The Threat of Governmental Regulation
4:15pm-4:45pm Keynote Address: Senator Joseph
Lieberman
Introduced by Howard M. Squadron, Squadron, Ellenoff, Plesent & Sheinfeld
Participants:
Prof. Edwin Baker, University of Pennsylvania
Law School
Jerry Berman, Executive Director, Center for Democracy and Technology
Stephen Brenner, General Cousel, USA Networks
Jeffrey Cole, Director, UCLA Center for Telecommunications Policy Robert
Corn-Revere, Hogan & Hartson and Conference Co-chair
Richard Cotton, Exec. V.P., Gen. Counsel, NBC
Tony Cox, Senior Vice President, Viacom Inc.
Prof. Owen Fiss, Yale Law School
Julius Genachowski, Legal Advisor, Chairman, FCC
Prof. Todd Gitlin, New York University
Prof. Marci Hamilton, Cardozo Law School
Prof. Richard D. Heffner, Former Chair, Motion Picture Industry Voluntary
Film Ratings Systems
Marcy Kelly, President, MediaScope
Mark MacCarthy, Exec. V.P., Wexler Group
Prof. John McGinnis, Cardozo Law School
Paul McMasters, First Amendment Ombudsman, Freedom Forum
David Moulton, Chief of Staff, Congressman Ed Markey
Richard Mosk, Chair, Classification and Rating Admin., Motion Picture
Association of America
Prof. Eli Noam, Director, Columbia Institute for Tele-Information
Dr. Arthur Pober, Exec. Dir., Entertainment Software Ratings Board
Prof. Monroe E. Price, Cardozo Law School and Conference Co-chair
Prof. Donald Roberts, Chair, Dept. of Communication, Stanford University
Paul Russinoff, Director, State Relations, Recording Industry Association
of America
Andrew Schwartzman, Executive Director, Media Access Project
Donald V. West, Editor/Senior Vice President, Broadcasting & Cable
Partial List
