Course book
Module notes (Blackboard)
Extra reading (Blackboard)
Specimen examination papers and revision tips (Blackboard)

Benz J. & Mago E. & Timmerman J. [2014]: Legal Guide to Broadcast Law and Regulation. London: National Association of Broadcasters, 6th edition.
Dodd M. & Hanna M. [2016]: McNae’s Essential Law for Journalists. Oxford University Press, 23rd edition. Note: do not use an earlier edition.
McBride K. & Rosenstiel T eds. [2014]: The New Ethics of Journalism. Sage.
Quinn F. [2015]: Law for Journalists (Pearson Longman)
Smartt U. [2014]: Media and Entertainment Law. Second Edition. Routledge.
Thom C. [2016]: Online Law for Journalists. First Edition. Clean Copy Publishing.

1. SHOW KNOWLEDGE OF THE BROAD CONCEPTS OF THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM AND THEIR IMPACT ON MEDIA LAW AND ETHICS
[Knowledge and Understanding]

2. PRODUCE STORIES ACROSS THE RANGE OF JOURNALISTIC MEDIA (PRINT, BROADCAST, ON-LINE) THAT ARE LEGALLY SAFE AND ETHICALLY SOUND
[Learning]

3. USE APPROPRIATE SOURCES OF INFORMATION TO SEEK SOLUTIONS TO LEGAL PROBLEMS ARISING IN NEWS OR FEATURE WRITING
[Enquiry]

4. DEMONSTRATE YOUR AWARENESS OF ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS IN YOUR JOURNALISTIC WRITING AND REFLECT ON THEIR IMPACT
[Reflection]

One two-hour open-book examination with a weighting of 100%. The examination will involve all the learning outcomes [1-4].

You will consider the issues most relevant to contemporary news and feature writing, namely defamation, contempt of court and privacy.

You will also examine ethical and moral aspects of journalistic writing embodied in the editors¿ code of practice and Ofcom regulations. You will do this by learning about the philosophy of ethics and morals and how these relate to Media Law in practice.

Other topics such as copyright and confidentiality, use of images and Defamation & Privacy will underpin your legal understanding from a journalist’s perspective. . Court cases featuring in the news will also be included where appropriate to underpin teaching and learning.

Additionally, you will learn how to critically read and evaluate source material to allow you to develop your academic skills.

One one-hour lecture
One one-hour seminar Reading and other tasks as appropriate

The module develops understanding of legal and ethical constraints on reporting and on the media in general. It is specifically designed for people working in the media, print, broadcast, online¿ in that it approaches law and ethics from a journalistic rather than a legalistic or philosophical perspective. The module aims to help make you aware of the legal obligations and codes of practice under which journalists work. protect you from legal action over published or broadcast material. It focuses particularly on the vital areas of contempt of court, defamation and privacy.