Media law for journalists: what’s the point?

March 19, 2009

cit-journo.jpg

Blade is struck by this story from All Media Scotland on the decision by Strathclyde University to drop shorthand from its BA in Creative Writing and Journalism. It’s not, though, shorthand which catches Blade’s eye, but a throwaway line about another “pesky old-school skill” – media law.

Apparently, if Blade is reading between the lines correctly, a growing band of modern-day citizen journalists would not only ditch shorthand but also the requirement that they have any idea about media law.  Quite why they should have come to this conclusion is a mystery, unless it is for the simple reason that many people, including putative journalists, simply don’t ever quite understand the law and so would rather not have to waste time studying it. After all, newspapers have lawyers, don’t they? Isn’t it their job to minimise or avoid legal risk? Why bother to learn about it when someone else can sort it out?

The credit crunch is wreaking all manner of havoc, but if universities decide to abandon teaching their journalism students at least the rudiments of media law, carnage of a different kind is sure to be unleashed. That goes for citizen journalists, too. Those who blog, twitter and submit footage to YouTube without ever stopping to think of the legal ramifications of what they’re doing are hostages to a potentially litigious fortune.

Image courtesy of Flickr user PT. 

 

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Supreme Court on Twitter

February 6, 2012

Something remarkable happened today. Yes, the Supreme Court launched its Twitter feed. It even has a Twitter policy, one of caveats, disclaimers and little by way of illumination but regardless: who would have thought that the successor body to the House of Lords would stoop to engage with the world of tweets, hashtags and retweets?

We look forward to the day when court business will be conducted via Twitter. Meantime, check out this link for an excellent blog on the Supreme Court.

Not so right said Fred

February 2, 2012
fred hat

So Farewell, then, Sir Fred Goodwin.

Now you are just Fred.

Not Right Said Fred, but plain Fred.

The Forfeiture Committee did for you.

No one had heard of it before,

But Dave said it had to act, and it did.

Trouble is that no one knows what to think.

Is it ‘Alas, poor Fred‘,

Or ‘Hurray! Sir Fred is dead!’?

We don’t know.

Do you?

By A. Mob, aged 1,378 and a half.

London Goes AWOL

January 31, 2012
CNN

STOP PRESS:

Fed up with being stuck on the Thames in south-east England, London yesterday decided to move. In a dramatic gesture which augurs ill for the Olympics, the city upped sticks and relocated to East Anglia.

Lawyers were not consulted about the move, and the city’s precise motivation remains unclear. However, financiers fear that London’s decision is a sign that it wishes to downsize. Moreover, a source from London said: “We no longer want to be Britain’s seat of power. If the Scots can deregulate, why can’t we? East Anglia is a nice place where nothing happens. It’s time for a quiet life. Please respect our right to privacy.”

Elsewhere, Birmingham did not do anything, but Manchester was seen to be packing its bags. “There’s an opportunity for us,” said Manchester. “We can become London.”

East Anglia said: “We don’t mind. It’ll be refreshing to be associated with something other than fens and flatness.”

A cartologist at CNN, which broke the extraordinary news, was later fired.