1. MEDIA LAW Obscenity – Pornography and Censorship

2. Local censorship n H.L. Mencken, The American Mercury n Article about prostitute considered “salacious” n Judge dismissed case. n Mencken profitted

3. Obscenity - Pornography U. S. Supreme Court, 1957, Roth vs. U.S. Obscenity not protected by First Amendment Sex and obscenity not synonymous. Obscene material appeals to “prurient” interest, is obsessively sexual

4. Obscenity - Pornography U. S. Supreme Court, 1973, Miller vs. Calif. Whether “average person, applying contemporary standards” finds work, as a whole, appeals to prurient interest Whether work deals in offensive way with sexual conduct specifically defined in state law Whether the work, as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value

5. Censorship and School Boards n One-third of all censorship cases involves attempts to censor library books and school curricula. n Almost all are usually reversed on appeal.

6. Obscenity — Pornography n Commission on Obscenity and Pornography1970 No convincing evidence of harm.

7. Obscenity — Pornography n Report of the Attorney General’s Commission on Pornography (Meese Commission, 1986) Pornography does cause harm.