No other Oklahoma law firm surpasses Doerner for our breadth of media counseling, including on defamation, privacy, First Amendment and related issues. We represent many of the state’s largest publishers and broadcasters, are counsel to individual members and the Legal Services Plan of the Oklahoma Press Association, represent national publishers and broadcasters in Oklahoma court proceedings, and advise numerous authors and publishers in the state on their media law concerns. Three of our lawyers have been selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® for First Amendment law, and the Media Law Resource Center annually asks our firm to contribute the Oklahoma chapter to its 50-State Survey of Media Privacy and Related Law.

Our job is to keep editors and reporters out of trouble. We review newspaper and magazine articles and broadcast media stories from the concept stage through final dissemination in order to minimize potential legal liability. We use decades of practical working media knowledge of print and broadcast media to review copy and advise our clients on substantiation and potential libel concerns, helping conform content to the policies, standards and guidelines of all media in order to answer any challenges by third parties.

In extremely controversial articles, we have participated in the editing process to ensure that both reporters and their editors understand the legal issues involved and to suggest risk mitigation strategies – recognizing always that the final decision to run a story rests with our clients.

As the Internet continues to transform traditional media, we combine practical working knowledge of print and broadcast channels with the latest developments in Internet law to review online materials. 

  • Defend news media outlets and reporters against claims of libel, slander, defamation and invasion of privacy.
  • Provide general news access and news gathering consultation, including on freedom of information and “sunshine law” issues.
  • Conduct pre-publication and pre-broadcast review of stories, working closely with journalists and editors.
  • Represent media clients in responding to subpoenas and other legal proceedings.
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