First Amendment Handbook, 7th edition
Published by The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
The First Amendment Handbook,... "First produced in 1986, and updated regularly since then, ... is designed to provide a basic primer on the laws affecting reporters' rights to gather and disseminate news. At a time when newsgathering techniques are under increasing scrutiny, courts order journalist to jail for refusing to disclose confidential sources, government officials are finding new ways to close down access to public information in the name of national security, and beg business tries to intimidate news organizations by filing lawsuits based on novel tort theories ranging from fraud to breach of duty of loyalty, American journalists need to be aware of the many potential pitfalls that await them, and of how they might avoid them. The need to know their rights, and how to fight back when they are threatened. The First Amendment Handbook is an important weapon in that fight. (Source: Introduction to The First Amendment Handbook)
This important resource presenters the following chapters on issues of critical importance to reporters
The First Amendment - Freedom of the Press by 
Libel occurs when a false and defamatory statement about an identifiable person is published to a third party, causing injury to the subject’s reputation. Each state creates its own body of libel law, although the First Amendment requires plaintiffs or prosecutors to prove fault before a news organization can be held liable for defamatory communications.
Generally, courts consider six different legal elements in libel cases: the defamatory nature of the communication, how it was published, the truth or falsity of the claims, whether it is "of and concerning" an individual, reputational harm caused and the degree of fault. The defendant in a libel claim also may have specific defenses available, often including anti-SLAPP statutes.
Companies can also bring suits for product disparagement. Criminal libel charges also pop up from time to time, and some suits are over the infliction of emotional distress. Journalists should know some basic tips for avoiding libel suits.
from The First Amendment Handbook, <http://www.rcfp.org/digital-journalists-legal-guide/libel>
All writers - students, journalists, researchers, popular writers, etc. - face the challenge of avoiding plagiarism. Plagiarism can be defined as the practice of taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them off as one's own. It is a violation of copyright law and can be considered to be stealing/theft/piracy of the intellectual property of another person. Often times, plagiarism is committed inadvertently. The writer didn't mean to plagiarize but wasn't fully informed about ways to avoid it. Still, as in matters of law, ignorance of the law is no excuse. Writers have a responsibility to educate themselves in ways to avoid plagiarism.
The websites listed below offer important advice on avoiding plagiarism.
The New Ethics of Journalism: Principles for the 21st Century by Association of Health Care Journalists. Statement of Principles of the Association of
Health Care Journalists.
American Medical Writers Association. AMWA Code of Ethics.
American Society of Newspaper Editors. ASNE Statement of Ethical Principles.
National Press Photographers' Association. NPPA Special Report: Ethics in the age of digital photography.
Radio-Television News Directors Association. RTDNA Code of Ethics.
Society of American Business Editors and Writers. SABEW’s Code of Ethics.
Society of Professional Journalists. SPJ Code of Ethics.
In 1999, "The New Republic" magazine that so prided itself on insightful political and social commentary was plunged into scandal when it was discovered that one of the magazine's star reporters, Stephen Glass, had fabricated many of his stories. "Shattered Glass" is the story of Stephen Glass' fall from bright young star to pariah of the journalistic community. Stephen Glass was a pathological liar and a con artist, but far more interesting than Glass are the holes in journalism's fact-checking systems that his success revealed and the willingness of a bunch of the nation's supposedly bright up-and-coming journalists to believe things that were so obviously preposterous. (Source: mirasreviews, Amazon.com)
The film, "Shattered Glass" is an interesting look at integrity, gullibility,
and delusion in those who write the news and those who read it.
(Source: mirasreviews, Amazon.com)