The First Amendment of the United States Constitution provides that "Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press." In todays society, the press has become more and more invasive and circuitous in its investigations. However, courts have asserted that the First Amendment does not protect the media from liability for crimes or torts committed during the course of newsgathering. This paper explores newsgathering torts and examines whether and when damages stemming from publication can be awarded. Additionally, this paper looks at the cases of Food Lion v. Capital Cities/ABC, Inc., other important Supreme Court decisions, as well as Dietemann v. Time, Inc.
