Hello,

the Kobe Bryant case was a very interesting case to evaluate. Rape Shield Laws are meant to protect the victims of sexual assault, but they can also allow a victim to hide behind the truth. I don't want everyone to think that every piece of journalism that came out of the Bryant case was bad. There was a lot of good journalism that brought up questions in the accuser's past while keeping her name of record.

Most of the unethical journalism in this case was in the blogs online and over the radio. Bloggers really destroyed this girls life for a period of time with the false accusations and rumors they posted. However, reputable news organizations did a great job of protecting her privacy while still reporting what they felt to be a false claim.

here are some links that can help you better understand the case and the federal and state Rape Shield laws.

Enjoy.

Here are some links to some info on the Kobe Bryant case.

file:///Users/tr112095/Desktop/Full%20Court%20Press:%20Kobe%20Bryant%20and%20the%20Media%20%7C%20Project%20for%20Excellence%20in%20Journalism%20(PEJ).webarchive

This link has a lot of articles pertaining to The Kobe case. if you keep following the links you should get to the article you want.

file:///Users/tr112095/Desktop/Colorado%20Rape%20Shield%20Law%20-%20Denver%20Criminal%20Attorney%20Specializing%20in%20Criminal%20Defense%20for%20Denver%20-%20Colorado%20Criminal%20Lawyer.webarchive

This explains Colorado's state rape Shield law in full. You can also find federal laws.

There is a PDF that is too long to post on here, but Aviva Orenstein's Special Issues Raised By Rape Trials is the best article I found on the Bryant case.

Here is my powerpoint if you want to look at it again: file:///Users/tr112095/Documents/Kobe%20Rape%20Case.pptx