The Silha Center for the Study of Media Ethics and Law was established in 1984 with an endowment from Otto and Helen Silha. Located within the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Minnesota, the Silha Center is the vanguard of the School's interest in the ethical responsibilities and legal rights of the mass media in a democratic society. The Center focuses on the concepts and values that define the highest ideals of American journalism: freedom and fairness. It honors the importance of these ideals by examining their theoretical and practical applications and by recognizing the interdependence of ethical and legal principles.

Several major projects worthy of sustained, programmatic effort on the part of faculty and students have been identified. These include:

• Media Accountability
  
• Points of convergence of media ethics and law
  
• Libel and privacy
  

A variety of associated programs are organized and promoted by the Center, including a lecture series, symposiums, forums, workshops, monographs, bibliographies, and syllabi. Support is provided for faculty research, and for Silha Fellows working on advanced degrees. The Center also serves as a resource for journalists, scholars, and other community members with questions about ethical and legal issues involving the media.

More about the Silha Center

Fellowship Application Guide:
SJMC Students

Fellowship Application Guide:
Law Students

The Silha Fellowships support outstanding graduate students in their research, as well as providing them with the opportunity to assist with a variety of Silha Center projects.

In addition to conducting scholarly research, Silha Fellows will be expected to make substantial contributions to the production of the Silha Center’s quarterly Bulletin.

Candidates for the Silha Fellowships must demonstrate experience in undertaking legal research; students who hold or are pursuing a law degree are ideal. Candidates also must have a substantial interest in journalism ethics. An interest in the new media is a plus. Fellowships are awarded initially for one year.

Jane E. Kirtley Silha Professor of Media Ethics and Law - and - Director of the Silha Center

Jane Kirtley has been the Silha Professor of Media Ethics and Law at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Minnesota since August 1999. She was named Director of the Silha Center in May 2000. Prior to that, she was Executive Director of The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press in Arlington, Virginia, for 14 years. Before joining the Reporters Committee staff, Kirtley was an attorney for five years with the law firm of Nixon, Hargrave, Devans and Doyle in Rochester, New York and Washington D.C. She is a member of the New York, District of Columbia, and Virginia bars. Kirtley also worked as a reporter for the Evansville (Indiana) Press and The Oak Ridger and Nashville Banner (Tennessee).

• Ted Glasser, Stanford University
• Marilyn Greene, former Executive Director of the World Press Freedom Committee
• Linda Lightfoot, The Advocate
• Robert O'Neil, Director of the Thomas Jefferson Center
• Bob Steele, Poynter Institute
• Richard N. Winfield, Chair, World Press Freedom Committee, and retired attorney, Clifford Chance Rodgers & Wells LLP