Symposiums
Call for Papers – “Breaking News: First Amendment on Trial”
A Symposium Analyzing the Intersection of Journalism and the Law
September 19, 2025
From local newsrooms to the digital frontier, the First Amendment faces unprecedented challenges at the intersection of journalism and the law. For its 2025 symposium, the Elon Law Review welcomes all abstract submissions related to the First Amendment but strongly encourages abstracts that explore topics at the crossroads of journalism and legal issues. Potential topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
- Local media and the public’s trust in journalism
- AI-generated journalism content and its implications
- Copyright issues in journalism
- Government regulation of journalism, news outlets, and other publishers under the Trump administration, including online publishers
- Funding for news organizations, especially local news and online alternatives to traditional outlets
- The rise in defamation claims against the institutional media
- Pending relevant legislation, including the PRESS Act
Elon Law Review’s symposium will provide a platform for robust discussion and analysis of these issues, bringing together legal scholars, practitioners, journalists, and policymakers. Selected submissions will have the opportunity to present at the symposium and may be considered for publication in Elon Law Review Volume 18.
The Fall 2025 symposium will be held in person on Friday, September 19, 2025, with a dinner the evening before for panelists and speakers. An abstract of the scholarly paper to be presented should be submitted no later than Monday, March 31, 2025, to Chief Symposium Editor Yates May at jmay10@elon.edu with a resume or CV attached. Accepted proposals will be organized into symposium panels around the proposed issue.
Final papers will be due by Friday, June 27, 2025, for both presentation at the Symposium and consideration for publication in Elon Law Review Volume 18.
We look forward to reviewing your submissions!