Summary of content

This module introduces students to the operation and implications of media law in the context of contemporary journalistic practice and publishing. With a focus on all forms of modern communication, including print, broadcast and social media publishing, this module explores the scope of free expression and the constraints our evolving media law – and ethical and professional standards – place on contemporary publishers inside and outside the mainstream. Key issues which will be considered include the law on privacy, defamation, contempt of court, court reporting, copyright and intellectual property, and the professional and ethical constraints applying to responsible journalism and broadcasting.

The examination component for this module consists of the external National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) examinations in Essential Media Law and Court Reporting. Students successfully completing these assessments with gain external recognition for their understanding of media law issues as part of the programme’s NCTJ accreditation.

These knowledge based online assessments require students to recall specific information about diverse aspects of media law, including key definitions of legal concepts, the ability to recall where specific legal principles are stated in law, and the ability to apply this legal knowledge to hypothetical scenarios journalists are likely to encounter in the real world, including reporting from courts, covering aspects of the private lives of public figures, and handling confidential influential passed to them for publication in the public interest.

Module structure

Assessment methods