Integrated Strategic Communication: COMM 306
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We have been learning about our ability to sway public opinion, for better or for worse, and the ethical implications of such action. For those who are practicing the art of public communication, the law remains a necessary area of study. Strategic Communication as a field has traditionally shared an uneasy alliance with the law because a corporation’s legal position is typically executed in the public relations office.

The difference between legal advice and strategic communication advice is significant:

Legal advisors tell clients about what they must do to defend themselves in a court of law; whereas public relations advisors counsel clients about what the should do to defend themselves in the court of public opinion. (Seitel, The Practice of Public Relations (2010), p.125)

For this lab, respond to the following scenario:

You are a public relations team working for a major corporation that has gotten into legal trouble. Considering that you know the law, you have been asked to create a web-based presentation to teach strategic communication professionals in your company about the law.

Your presentation should include 3 parts:

1. The main idea of the law and pertinent definitions;
2. A brief description of how the law came to be enacted; and,
3. A list of key things for communication professionals to remember to help them remain in compliance with the law.

You should also include both a title and credits.

The presentation can be in any order you choose, but you should think about how to best target your information toward your audience – communication professionals.

The presentation should be able to serve as a stand-alone resource for viewers.

Topics may be chosen from:

• The First Amendment
• Defamation Law
• Insider Trading Law
• Disclosure Law
• Ethics Law
• Copyright Law
• Internet Law (choose one)
  • Censorship
  • Intellectual Property
  • Cybersquatting
  • E-fraud

As you know, issues in spelling and grammar discredit and organization and its PR office. Therefore, presentations that contain any errors in grammar or spelling will not be accepted and will receive zero credit. Be sure to cite all your sources – including those used for images.

Submitting the assignment

Your presentation should be crafted in the style of a YouTube video. Your time limit is 2 minutes. Upload your video to YouTube and embed it in your blog in a blog post titled “Lab 06: Web-based Primer.” Learn how to embed a video in your blog: