Handbook

This course focuses on the principal legal areas affecting media content. An underlying theme of the course will be the relationship between free speech and the legal restrictions imposed upon the media. You will find also that the course builds on your knowledge of a variety of legal topics already studied in your program, such as, for example, torts, criminal law, and constitutional law, but requires you to rethink these areas from the perspective of how they impact upon media as they carry out their roles of reporting and commenting. The course will cover the core areas of media law and its general principles. We will also consider new frontiers and contemporary case studies involving digital and social media.  The media landscape is transforming and we examine how media law frameworks can be reformed and/or further developed to address the challenges involved.

Main Topics

• freedom of speech and offensive speech
• media ownership
• open justice and contempt of court (including the protection of sources)
• defamation law
• privacy and breach of confidence
• digital media regulation