JN2310 - Media Law and Ethics

Credit points:	03
Year:	2013
Student Contribution Band:	Band 1
Administered by:	School of Arts & Social Sciences

Students examine in detail the legislative, ethical and common law constraints that operate on journalists and the media. They learn about laws of defamation, contempt and copyright, examine case studies; and explore some of the strategies employed by journalists to accommodate ethical and legal requirements while reporting the news effectively and responsibly.

Learning Outcomes

• to acquire a working knowledge of the law as it relates to the practice of journalism;
• to understand a range of ethical issues that confront working journalists.

Graduate Qualities

• The ability to adapt knowledge to new situations;
• The ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences;
• The ability to lead, manage and contribute effectively to teams;
• The ability to speak and write logically, clearly and creatively;
• The ability to use and interpret different media;
• A coherent and disciplined body of skills, knowledge, values and professional ethics in at least one discipline area;
• The ability to use a variety of media and methods to retrieve, analyse, evaluate, organise and present information;
• The ability to reflect on and evaluate learning processes and products;
• The ability to learn independently and in a self-directed manner;
• An understanding of the economic, legal, ethical, social and cultural issues involved in the use of information;
• The ability to work with people of different gender, age, ethnicity, culture, religion and political persuasion.

Assumed Knowledge:	To undertake this subject, students must have successfully completed 12 credit points (four subjects) of tertiary study at level 1.
Prerequisites:	JN1004 OR JN1005 OR CU1020
Inadmissible Subject Combinations:	IA2000 JN2000 JN2002 JN5000 JN5300 JN2300 JN3303 JN5303 JN5310

Availabilities
Townsville, Internal, Study Period 1
Census Date 28-Mar-2013
Coordinator:	Dr Amy Forbes
Contact hours:	13 hours lectures 22 hours tutorials 2 hours fieldwork
Assessment:	end of semester exam (40%); tutorial attendance and participation (10%); assignments (50%).

Note: Minor variations might occur due to the continuous Subject quality improvement process, and in case of minor variation(s) in assessment details, the Subject Outline represents the latest official information.