Week 9, Derrek Ballard

I'm not going to lie, this week's homework was difficult.  I took a business law class a few semesters ago where I learned about libel, slander and defamation, but trying to tie it into publishing was harder than I thought it would be.  It's definitely something I'll have to study for the test coming up.

I think this month is a great time to have a defamation lesson because it's easy to find examples in the recent political debates and campaigns.  Even though Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are public figures so their sexist, discriminatory statements are treated differently than private individuals, I think their conversations are a prime example of what not to say.  Publishers have to be careful on what they print about these debates as to not come off discriminatory themselves.

We all know what Donald Trump has said in the past about women, immigrants, foreigners, and his presidential competition.  I was reading this article earlier that discusses a law suit from the Justice Department to Trump for racial discrimination: http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2016/sep/27/hillary-clinton/true-hillary-clinton-says-federal-government-sued-/.  In the article, the writer says they rate the statement (the statement that he acted discriminatory) as true.

Here's another advertisement I saw that shows racial discrimination (as subtle as it may be).