LAW4316 - Media law 1 - 2019

The purpose of this unit is to identify and evaluate the laws which govern the way in which the media collect and disseminate news and information about the state. Core topics are: the media and the courts (open justice and obtaining information about court proceedings, suppression orders, contempt of court, journalists and their sources), the media and parliament (contempt of Parliament, parliamentary broadcasts) and reporting elections and other political material. Other topics will be selected from the following list: reporting on defence and national security (sedition, official secrets, reporting terrorism etc) and offensive publications (blasphemy, obscenity, the classification system, racial and religious vilification etc).

At the successful completion of this unit students will be able to:

Identify and demonstrate an ability to apply the laws that are covered in each topic in terms of their impact on the media.

Critically analyse the relationship between the media and the organs of State.

Articulate reasoned opinions as to whether the laws studied strike an appropriate balance between freedom of speech and other important public interests such as the administration of justice, national security and the protection of citizens from offensive material.

A class test (75 minutes): 40%

Final written examination (2 hours plus 30 minutes reading and noting time): 60%

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. The unit requires on average three/four hours of scheduled activities per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.

See also Unit timetable information