Media Law

Course aim

To develop an understanding of the principles of law as related to the media and media operations.

Course content

Students will develop understanding of and familiarity with key areas of law affecting the practice of journalism. These include the Australian Constitution; the courts; law of defamation – defences and remedies; protection of privacy; sub judice; contempt of court; court reporting; the Evidence Act; the Wrongs Act; juries; suppression orders; obscenity; material likely to incite racial hatred; and laws of copyright.

Textbook(s)

Pearson, M & Polden, M 2011, The journalist's guide to media law, 4th, Allen and Unwin

Carvan, J 2010, Understanding the Australian legal system , 6th, Law Book Company

Prerequisite(s)

Common to all relevant programs
Subject Area & Catalogue Number	Course Name
COMM 2073	Journalism Production
COMM 2074	Journalism Techniques

Corequisite(s)

Nil

Teaching method

Component	Duration
INTERNAL, MAGILL
Seminar	2 hours x 12 weeks
INTERNAL, OFFSHORE, TAYLOR'S BUSINESS SCHOOL
Seminar	2 hours x 12 weeks

Note: These components may or may not be scheduled in every study period. Please refer to the timetable for further details.

Assessment

Examination, Multiple choice test , Problem-solving exercise

Fees

EFTSL*: 0.125
Commonwealth Supported program (Band 4A)
To determine the fee for this course as part of a Commonwealth Supported program, go to:
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Fee-paying program for domestic and international students
International students and students undertaking this course as part of a postgraduate fee paying program must refer to the relevant program home page to determine the cost for undertaking this course.

Non-award enrolment
Non-award tuition fees are set by the university. To determine the cost of this course, go to:
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Not all courses are available on all of the above bases, and students must check to ensure that they are permitted to enrol in a particular course.

* Equivalent Full Time Study Load. Please note: all EFTSL values are published and calculated at ten decimal places. Values are displayed to three decimal places for ease of interpretation.