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African Studies: Media

The Dangers of a Single Story

A TED talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie discussing the dangers of telling only one side of a story about an issue or country

Find General News & Media Sources

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Find Media

Photos, Documentaries, and Movies

Creative Commons, Public Domain, & Fair Use

Public Domain: Works that you can use in any way you want to. Most works enter the public domain once intellectual property laws expire, but some enter because creators wish for their work to be available without copyright law restrictions.

The Copyright Act gives the owner of a copyright the exclusive right to reproduce and distribute their work. One exception to this exclusive right is called the fair use exceptionThe fair use exception permits the reproduction of a portion of a copyrighted work without the copyright owner's permission, under certain circumstancesThis is a vitally important exception for education, as it enables students, scholars, and critics to use and reference copyrighted works in their own scholarship, teaching, and critiques.


Four factors are considered in all fair use evaluations. They are:

  • Purpose & character
  • Nature of the work
  • Amount
  • Effect 

Resources below can help you understand these factors and determine if your situation qualifies under Fair Use.


See the resources below for guidelines about specific formats or educational situations.

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Email Butler University Libraries
Irwin Library: 317-940-9227
Science Library: 317-940-9937

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