With a 25-year career in journalism, Carole Watson is now Director of the Fashion Journalism Programme at the University of Sunderland. Here, she gives an overview of her outstanding career and talks about the opportunities Sunderland offers aspiring journalists. Students interested in media and law also have the opportunity to participate in the National First Amendment Moot Court. The JD/MS in Journalism is one of 11 joint degree programs available to KU law students. The program, offered in partnership with the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications, is designed to provide students with an academic foundation in law and journalism and prepare them to practice law, journalism or media law. The Media, Law & Technology programme supports the annual Media & the Law seminar. Lawyers from across the United States attend the conference, as well as judges, journalists, students and members of the public. What you might think is a fair dealing tribute to your favorite TV show may actually be copyright infringement. For this reason, it is important to consult an experienced lawyer immediately if your content is removed from a website or if you receive a cease and desist letter. If you get legal help quickly, you can identify any allegedly offensive issues and know when not to comply. Censorship In a public high school, students should be informed from the outset that they are protected by the First Amendment, and all students should be informed that any censorship by the government (and school officials) — even if it`s not always worth fighting for — should never be accepted as the norm. In addition, the law may now give high school officials the “right” to censor certain school-sponsored student publications, but that doesn`t mean it`s the right thing to do or that such official behavior shouldn`t be challenged. Don`t assume that this is a message they`ve learned in their civics classes or absorbed in some way over their more than a dozen years as U.S.
citizens. Unfortunately, this is often not the case. The full explanation of the scope of First Amendment protection in the post-hazel era is inevitably a bit complicated and may need to be submitted for later. However, explaining that censorship can`t just yawn is a lesson that shouldn`t wait. There are certainly other media law issues worth studying (obscenity, advertising, internet law, etc.), but when time is limited, covering the above allows for a simple but effective legal review. Courses in this category examine the official and/or unofficial policies of governmental and/or non-governmental institutions regarding the media. Non-governmental institutions may be non-profit or for-profit. I understand this sentiment and I will not spend my time discussing the relative importance of different journalistic skills. They are all important and finding a way to fit everything into a semester or even a school year is an impossible task.
Yet just as regular dental checkups reduce the likelihood of time-consuming, expensive, and painful root canal surgery, I`m convinced you`re far less likely to spend weeks in a courtroom in April if you spend an hour in the newsroom, introducing your student assistants to defamation and other media rights issues. Everyone has a right to privacy, and as a journalist, there are places you can`t go, things you can`t do, and stories you can`t print – even if they`re true. While there may be complicated exceptions to the rule, the law generally follows common sense regarding private places that are prohibited without consent (in an individual`s home, in school locker rooms, etc.), news gathering practices that are usually prohibited (implementation of an electronic error, hacking of private emails, etc.) and topics that are so private or embarrassing. that they cannot be written. Of course, when it`s time to cover a sensitive topic, it will be important to spend time discussing advocating for the “value of information” as well as the overall role of the press in covering news, even news that could sometimes make journalists or some readers uncomfortable. Again, the main goal is to make students aware that there are lines and that questions need to be asked before – not after – those lines are crossed. By participating in courses in this area, students gain insight into how the media affects the legal system, relates to government and business, and influences legislation and public policy. They also broaden their knowledge and skills in various areas of law relevant to media lawyers.
KU Law`s program in Media, Law and Technology focuses on protecting freedom of speech and publication through the First Amendment. The program aims to shed light on laws, government regulations and technological developments that affect mass communication media. Courses in this category examine public political participation (voting rights, activism, voting rights, etc.) and/or law (legislation, regulations, court decisions, etc.) in relation to the media. As we enter another school year, here are some super compressed media law “nuggets” to share with your students. Of course, there are always risks in oversimplifying complicated topics, and that`s certainly true here. Yet, I believe that even an oversimplified amount of prevention – presented to your employees as such – can be very effective. The use of confidential sources to gather information should be a rare event and even then, usually only as a last resort. The reason is simple: if you promise a source that you`ll keep their identity secret, you have to be willing to keep that promise – no matter what – until the source tells you it`s okay to do something else. Unfortunately, the “no matter what” part can sometimes be awkward.
Protective laws and/or court-recognized privileges for journalists exist in most states and offer journalists some protection from disclosure of confidential information, and it`s a good idea to know where you stand before making any promises. It is also important to keep in mind that students and advisors are not always on the same legal basis. As school employees, student media advisors may be required by law to inform school officials of any dangerous or illegal behavior of which they become aware. If student journalists work with a source who may be involved in such activities (for example, a student who admits to buying drugs on school grounds), they should be careful not to disclose the identity of the source to the advisor. This prevents everyone from finding themselves in a delicate situation. Communications and media law covers all legal issues affecting the media and telecommunications industry. These issues include freedom of expression, defamation, copyright and censorship. There are also privacy issues and whether content can be printed, wirelessly or published online. Journalism may have been considered a soft option a few years ago. That`s no longer the case, according to award-winning journalist and host Alastair Stewart OBE. As a venerable media presence, he shares his expert perspective on the transformation of journalism and advises aspiring journalists. Sometimes I give a workshop for new media consultants and student editors called “Student Press Law in 360 Seconds”.
Of course, the aim of the workshop is not to turn participants into media law experts who can provide all the answers. (It can, in fact, wait until April.) The goal of the one-hour session is simply to help them recognize the big questions and raise awareness of the resources they can turn to for answers. And frankly, an hour is enough to at least activate the radar of media law, develop awareness of common danger areas and, above all, know when to ask for additional help. Media law and policy recognize that it would be impossible to understand law and politics without appreciating the importance of the media. This section uses the media to examine a wide range of legal, regulatory, policy, and activist concerns, including the First Amendment, privacy and surveillance, cybersecurity and intellectual property, and social movements, social justice, and political transformation. Carole Watson`s journalistic career spans 25 years and includes roles such as deputy editor of Grazia magazine, editor of News of the World and reporting manager at the Daily Mirror. Copyright If you want to publish something you didn`t create for yourself, three rules apply: Rule #1: You need to give credit to the person who created it. Rule #2: Before publishing, you need to get permission from the owner. Rule #3: Until you finally decide otherwise, you need to assume that everything in any form (including material on the internet) belongs to someone else and is protected by copyright.
If you always follow these three rules, you will never have a copyright problem. It`s as simple as that. However – and this is where it gets complicated – we can sometimes skip the rules. For example, some things cannot be protected by copyright. Titles, slogans, short phrases, and other non-creative works fall into this category and you don`t need anyone`s permission to use them. Similarly, facts and ideas are not subject to copyright. Copyright also expires – and once they do, consent to use the work is no longer required. However, the most important exception for student journalists is fair dealing. The fair dealing exception generally allows the use of limited portions of copyrighted material without prior permission if the material is a central part of a news story, review, commentary, or educational discussion.
While a full understanding of fair dealing can take some time, it`s fairly easy to help students identify situations where the problem might arise and when they need to ask more questions.