Media Law

Prince, Lobel, Glovsky & Tye is home to the largest media law practice group in New England. We represent newspapers, magazines, television and radio broadcasters, book publishers, cable television operators, advertising agencies, public relations firms, and internet sites and content providers -- as well as reporters, editors, producers, authors, and artists. Several of our lawyers have worked as reporters, editors, or in broadcast. The depth of our practice group, and our familiarity with the field, ensure that we have a team of experienced lawyers available at all times to respond to our clients’ needs, under breaking deadlines when necessary.

Our media and First Amendment law practice includes:

Defending libel, invasion of privacy, newsgathering, and other lawsuits
Conducting prepublication and prebroadcast review
Responding to subpoenas, including confidential source issues
Preserving access to courtrooms and public records
Assisting with newsrack, distribution, and circulation disputes
Drafting and negotiating freelance agreements
Training in libel prevention and other risk avoidance

Prince Lobel also specializes in serving the labor and employment needs of our media clients. Additionally, we work with other practices within the firm to address the special intellectual property, insurance, business and corporate needs of the media.

At Prince Lobel, we practice media law because of our personal commitment to First Amendment values. We are dedicated to serving the interests of our media clients, and we care about the larger community as well. Our lawyers staff a daily hotline for the New England Press Association, providing prepublication review and other legal guidance to 450-plus newspapers throughout the six New England states. In 2005, we founded the New England Media Law Group, comprising media lawyers throughout New England who meet regularly to discuss current legal developments. We have an active pro bono practice.

The firm belongs to the defense counsel section of the Media Law Resource Center, and works with the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, the Student Press Law Center, and the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts. Our lawyers are active in the American Bar Association’s Forum on Communications Law; the ABA’s Media and Defamation Torts Committee; the Media Law Resource Center; the Magazine Publishers of America’s Legal Affairs Committee; Women in Communications Law; and Massachusetts Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts.

Our group members frequently speak, write, and teach on media and intellectual property law topics, including presentations to such groups as the Practising Law Institute, the City and Regional Magazine Association, the American Society of Magazine Editors, the New England Press Association, Business Wire, and at colleges and universities throughout the region. One of our partners is legal commentator for New England Cable News; another teaches First Amendment litigation at Boston College Law School. We have authored articles for the Media Law Resource Center (on media libel and employment defamation law), the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (on reporter’s privilege and public records law), and the Practising Law Institute (on access law). Seven of the lawyers in our group have been named as “Super Lawyers” or “Rising Stars” by Law and Politics; two are also listed in “Best Lawyers in America” under First Amendment law.

For more information on Prince Lobel’s media law or intellectual property and internet law practices, please contact Rob Bertsche at rbertsche@PrinceLobel.com or 617.456.8018 or Joe Steinfield at jsteinfield@PrinceLobel.com or 617.456.8015.

Representative Matters

Investigative news broadcast - A team of lawyers led by Joe Steinfield and Jeff Newman is defending a Fox television station accused of defaming two leaders of a high-profile Muslim organization. The suits arise out of an investigative report on connections between a local mosque and an organization alleged to have ties to terrorism.
Libel by juxtaposition - Rob Bertsche and Amy Serino successfully moved in federal court to dismiss libel and false light invasion of privacy claims against a prominent regional magazine. The claims arose out of the publication of the teen-age plaintiff’s photograph accompanying an article on teen sexuality.
Prepublication and prebroadcast review - Prince Lobel media lawyers regularly conduct prepublication review for newspapers throughout New England and magazines ranging in scope from regional to international, as well as prebroadcast review for a prominent regional cable network.
Lifting a gag order - We intervened on behalf of The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and the Associated Press, successfully moving to vacate a court-ordered prior restraint that had enjoined publication of the (previously disclosed) name of the complaining witness in a high-profile clergy sexual abuse prosecution.
Talk show torts - Rob Bertsche and Jeff Pyle succeeded in Massachusetts Superior Court on a motion to dismiss tort claims against a nationally syndicated talk show, broadcast network, and Boston television station, arising out of a Jenny Jones show that advocated “boot camp” for wayward children.
Libel by cartoon? - Prince Lobel attorneys defended a nationally syndicated cartoonist against a sportscaster’s claim that he was libeled by words uttered by a talking dog in a cartoon strip.
Corporate deals -Prince Lobel’s business lawyers negotiated an acquisition valued at up to $100 million for a prominent United Kingdom publisher, Euromoney Institutional Investor. They also rewrote the bylaws of a storied daily newspaper with national circulation.
Insurance - Prince Lobel's insurance lawyers assisted a high-profile New York media company in assessing its insurance coverage needs and reviewing and negotiating the policies offered to it by brokers.