Courses and administrative duties

Richard J. Peltz-Steele is a professor teaching media law topics including torts and freedom of information.

Professional background

Peltz-Steele received his law degree from Duke University and a bachelor’s in journalism and Spanish from Washington & Lee University. Peltz-Steele has won awards in teaching, research, and public service. He practiced commercial law in Baltimore and Washington, D.C., and taught law for more than thirteen years before coming to UMass Law.

Peltz-Steele is author or co-author of qualitative and quantitative research articles in law and mass communication journals, as well as book chapters, a treatise in the law and mass communication field, a casebook in tort law, and a forthcoming casebook in freedom of information law and policy. He is especially active in international media law and policy, having presented papers in Malaysia and South Africa, and having published in international and foreign journals, most recently regarding African development and the 2010 men's World Cup in football. He also volunteers in international hostelling and Latino community outreach.