MEDIA LAW COURSEWORK
MA Journalism
Week 6: 25th October 2017
Essay Choice Number 1:
“Your Essay Choice Here”
You may choose your own topic for this assignment, provided it is related to material covered in this class. You must discuss your ideas with me beforehand.
(100 marks)
Essay Choice Number 2. The Irish Globe
Since you graduated from DIT with a first class MA in Journalism, you have worked as journalist in print and online journalism, both in Ireland and abroad. You have recently been appointed Online News Editor with The Irish Globe, a daily broadsheet which has been established for four years. Since it started publication, The Irish Globe has provided its entire publication online, via its website IrishGlobe.ie. The website contains the entire publication archive and is fully searchable at no charge.
As Online News Editor you are responsible for the management of the entire online content of the website, which is updated on a 24 hour basis by your team of journalists. You are also responsible for the archive material, and the provision of online links to material referred to in The Irish Globe, where appropriate.
One of the reasons that you were hired by The Irish Globe is your extensive legal knowledge. You soon see why this is the case – in your first week of work the following legal issues all land on your desk needing urgent attention.
You must identity the legal issues involved, prioritise their relative importance and provide answers for the management of The Irish Globe as soon as possible.
1. The Irish Globe has been issued with legal proceedings in defamation by The Last Hurrah, a tapas bar cum restaurant in Cork. The proceedings relate to a damning restaurant review by your controversial restaurant critic Mary Maddock, who is known as ‘Mary mad dog’ in the restaurant business because of her blunt and sometimes brutal reviews. The Irish Globe has heard rumours that if The Last Hurrah’s action against it is successful, other restaurants will sue for defamation based on similarly negative reviews of their establishments. (30 marks)
2. Last week, The Irish Globe lost a defamation action against Sean Sliveen, a high profile talk show host with a nightly television programme. The case was taken over The Irish Globe’s reports that Sliveen, who had always taken a right wing conservative view of homosexuals, particularly those in the “liberal media”, was having an extra marital affair with a male political commentator. Last night, Sliveen died of a heart attack while at the gym. Since then, your desk has been inundated with calls and emails offering photographs which purport to prove your initial story. You are considering posting the images on your website or providing hyperlinks to their publication elsewhere, but you are also mindful of the privacy of Sliveen’s bereaved wife and eight children. (30 marks)
3. The staff photographers employed by The Irish Globe are outraged by a recent decision by the publisher to market photographic products for the Christmas market. Customers will be able to choose their favourite newspaper photographs from the last four years, which can then be digitally enhanced to include an image of the customer. The enhanced photographs will then appear on a mock up front page of The Irish Globe, which can be printed onto calendars, mouse mats and other gift items. The photographers have contacted their union and are threatening strike action. (30 marks)
A total of 10 marks will also be awarded for explaining the importance of prioritising the issues, and for presentation.
Reading
As indicated on course handouts.
Instructions
1. Coursework should be uploaded to webcourses via safeassign by Wednesday 6th December 2017.
2. You must put your name and student number on the assignment.
3. Late submission will be penalised as per the course handbook.
4. Plagiarism or copying will also incur disciplinary procedures as per the course handbook.
5. Written papers should be 4000 words in length.
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