LAU44062 Media Law

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this module, students should be able to:

• Critically assess how the law regulates the operation of the media in Ireland and across Europe;
• Explain the salient elements of Irish media law;
• Evaluate the emerging developments in media law and regulation, including the use of non-legal governance;
• Apply critical analysis and problem-solving skills and techniques to different essay and problem questions based on material covered in the module;
• Conduct research into developing areas of media law and practice.

Module Content

This course will consider both the theoretical and practical questions which arise in this evolving area of the law. Initially, the course will examine the role of the media in a constitutional democracy. The constitutional protection of the media in Ireland will be compared with similar regimes in other jurisdictions with particular emphasis on the jurisprudence of the European Convention of Human Rights. The course will then address a number of specific areas of media law. Lectures will deal with topics such as privacy, contempt of court, the protection of journalistic sources, obscenity, blasphemy, and the regulatory regimes in Ireland and in the EU. Throughout the course, lectures will explore the issues raised by the rise of new media forms like the internet.