Richard Labunski

Richard Labunski is an American journalism professor at the University of Kentucky and newspaper columnist^[4] who is an outspoken advocate for reforming the United States Constitution in his book The Second Constitutional Convention.^[5] He has been a critic of voter apathy, low voter turnout, and excessive campaign spending. Labunski's book ^[3] James Madison and the Struggle for the Bill of Rights (2006) argued that Madison was initially lukewarm to the idea of a Bill of Rights to the Constitution, but later came to energetically support the ten amendments and worked hard for their inclusion.^[6] He has called for a Second Constitutional Convention of the United States, and argued that reform will not happen through the current system because Congress would be reluctant to "limit its own powers."^[7]

Career

Labunski received a B.A. in political science from the University of California, Berkeley, an M.A. and Ph.D. in political science from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a J.D. degree from Seattle University.^[8] He worked as a radio and television reporter, producer, and editor at WTOP Radio (Washington, D.C.); KCBS Radio (San Francisco); KGUN-TV (Tucson); and KTVN-TV (Reno).^[9] He taught at the University of Washington for 11 years, as well as at Penn State University.^[9] He has been at the University of Kentucky since 1995, as a professor in the School of Journalism and Telecommunications.^[9]

In The Second Constitutional Convention (2000), Labunski proposed communication via the Internet as a way for Americans to organize a federal constitutional convention^[8] with a website serving as a "national meeting spot, a sort of cyberspace town meeting where people can get information".

Publications: Books

• James Madison and the Struggle for the Bill of Rights (Oxford University Press, 2006, 2008)^[3][4][10]
• The Second Constitutional Convention: How the American People Can Take Back Their Government^[1][2] (2000)
• The Educated Student: Getting the Most Out of Your College Years (2003)^[1]
• Libel and the First Amendment: Legal History and Practice in Print and Broadcasting (1989)^[1]
• The First Amendment Under Siege: The Politics of Broadcast Regulation (Greenwood Press, 1981)^[9]

Publications: Journal Articles

• "The Second Convention Movement, 1787–1789," Constitutional Commentary (Fall 2007). (pp. 567–600).
• "The First Amendment at the Crossroads: Free Expression and New Media Technology," 2 Communication Law and Policy No. 2 Law Division, AEJMC (Spring, 1997). (published April, 1997). (pp. 165–212).
• "A First Amendment Exception to the 'Collateral Bar' Rule: Protecting Freedom of Expression and the Legitimacy of Courts," 22 Pepperdine Law Review No. 2 (Winter, 1995). (published May, 1995). (pp. 405–465).
• "Judicial Discretion and the First Amendment: Extending the Holding Beyond the Facts Through 'Contiguous Decision Making,'" 13 Comm/Ent - A Journal of Communications and Entertainment Law No. 1 Hastings College of the Law, University of California, San Francisco (Fall, 1990). (published January, 1991). (pp. 15–56).
• "The Evolution of Libel Laws: Complexity and Inconsistency," Book Research Quarterly (Winter, 1989). (published June, 1989). (pp. 59–95). (reprinted from Libel and the First Amendment).
• "May It Rest in Peace: Public Interest and Public Access in the Post-Fairness Doctrine Era," 11 Comm/Ent - A Journal of Communications and Entertainment Law No. 2 Hastings College of the Law, University of California, San Francisco (Winter, 1989). (published April, 1989). (pp. 219–290).
• "The 'Collateral Bar' Rule and the First Amendment: The Constitutionality of Enforcing Unconstitutional Orders," 37 American University Law Review No. 2 (Winter, 1988). (published March, 1988). (pp. 323–377).
• "Pennsylvania and Supreme Court Libel Decisions: The 'Libel Capital of the Nation' Tries to Comply," 25 Duquesne Law Review No. 1 (Fall, 1986). (published February, 1987). (pp. 87–128).
• "The Legal Environment of Investigative Reporters: A Pilot Study," Newspaper Research Journal (Spring, 1985). (pp. 13–19). (Co-author: John Pavlik).

References

External links

• Author's website
• Appearances on C-SPAN