Cautious Communication

Option 1: Cautious communicationYou work in public relations here at Lamar University.About ten years ago, a student named Jeff Jefferson was expelled from Lamar after a conflict he had with the University Press. He briefly joined the paper before quitting because he didn’t get along with other students on the staff. He founded a rival newspaper, the Lamar Record, and approached several Beaumont businesses seeking advertisers. He led the businesses to believe that his paper was a sanctioned student project of the university, which it was not. As a result, he was expelled.Your office has been contacted by a reporter from Vanity Fair who is writing a story about a mostly unrelated event concerning the university’s administration that happened around the same time. The reporter intends to mention Jefferson’s expulsion as an example of the administration’s handling of problematic students. Another member of your office has drafted the following statement for the reporter:Regarding the Expulsion of Lamar University student Jeff Jefferson: “Freedom of speech, as alleged, was in no way an issue in this matter. Rather, the issue was the act of Jeff Jefferson, student, entering into an unauthorized contract, following which funds were solicited under false representation of Lamar University. This was done without the university’s approval. Eight local businesses were solicited for a substantial sum of funds; these businesses were led to believe that their revenue was going to a Lamar University authorized project. Mr. Jefferson had been informed earlier that approval of the project was denied by the administration, yet he defiantly proceeded.”Your boss wants your opinion on the release before it’s emailed to the reporter. Using your knowledge of comm law as gathered from class and the textbook, what advice can you give your boss with regard to libel?Resources: Go to the website “b-ok.cc” for a free download of the text book. The title is “The law of journalism and Mass Communications” . (It’s the first one) You will need to read Chapter 11 for this assignment.