Documentary filmmakers facing the threat of litigation
About this episode
Kim Masters discusses the challenges documentary filmmakers face regarding litigation with Dale Cohen and explores the legal battle over the Paramount-Warner Brothers merger.
Kim Masters talks to Dale Cohen, special counsel to PBS's Frontline , and director of UCLA Law School's Documentary Film Legal Clinic, about the threat of litigation filmmakers face from the wealthy and powerful people they choose to cover, such as Donald Trump. Cohen laments that so few investigative films are being produced right now, a situation that wasn’t helped when Disney and CBS paid up to settle dubious lawsuits from Trump. Cohen is hoping that Disney’s recent willingness to do battle with the FCC signals a growing realization that appeasement doesn’t work. Plus, Masters and Matt Belloni discuss the latest developments in the legal battle over the Paramount-Warner Brothers merger. California Attorney General Rob Bonta sued to stop the merger this week, but has also potentially signalled some conditions that would satisfy his objections.
People in this episode
Host: Kim Masters
Guest: Dale Cohen
Topics covered
- documentary filmmaking
- litigation threats
- investigative films
- media law
- entertainment industry
- mergers and acquisitions
Keywords
- documentary
- litigation
- filmmakers
- investigative journalism
- media law
- Paramount
- Warner Brothers
- Disney
- Trump
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: PBS, Frontline, UCLA Law School, Disney, CBS, FCC, Paramount, Warner Brothers
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