JOU4941 - Media Matters - Law, Regulation and Context

Objectives:

On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
Demonstrate a basic understanding of the marketplace in which the media operate;
Demonstrate an understanding of the basic regulatory frameworks within which the media operate;
Demonstrate an understanding of the legal framework within which journalists must operate, specifically in relation to court reporting;
Apply media law to relevant practical journalism scenarios, particularly in relation to court reporting.

Content:

This module provides background understanding of the media marketplace, regulation and law, specifically in relation to reporting the courts. Background context will be set with a brief look at the business context in which the press and broadcasters work, broadening out to look at how media regulation works in terms of the Press Complaints Commission and Ofcom. Students will have their first introduction to law in this module when they look at the legislation relevant to covering the courts. Following an introduction which sets the legal context within which journalists work, students will look specifically at the laws used when reporting the courts. Students will look at the practicalities of reporting court stories and be required to apply legal knowledge to practical reporting scenarios. Throughout the module students will consider the demands of online delivery alongside traditional news delivery and how stories should be treated and developed for different platforms.

Learning and Teaching Information:

This module uses a mixed teaching-methods approach. Interactive lectures and seminars/workshops are used to ensure that students understand the basic concepts of media law relating to reporting the courts. Tutors make use of a series of specially-designed exercises which further encourage students to apply their legal knowledge to a range of scenarios and to receive formative feedback from tutors on these.

Lectures
Contact hours: 8
Intended Group size: Full cohort

Seminars / workshops
Contact hours: 12
Intended group size: 25 max

Guided independent study
Hours: 80

Assessment: