30 April 2020
From copyright and libel law to ethical regulations, journalists need to be aware of and examine the daily dilemmas and challenges that face them when breaking a news story. Associate Head of School and NCTJ Media Law board member, Carole Watson, explains why learning the law is so essential.
1. Being a confident and campaigning journalist
Understanding how the law works empowers reporters to know when they can pursue important stories, whether that be covering breaking news, sports, show business, or fashion.
2. Avoiding going to jail by prejudicing an ongoing criminal case
If you study one of our journalism courses, you'll learn all about contempt of court, which teaches you how to avoid "trial by media" and a possible two-year jail sentence.
3. Reporting from courts
If the press don't sit in magistrates, crown, and coroners courts, there's no scrutiny of what happens there. But you need to learn how to comply with several reporting restrictions to do your job.
4. Avoiding a huge libel bill
If you make unjustified attacks on someone’s reputation, for example, by wrongly saying they're a dodgy businessman, or that a reality TV star has a drug problem, it might not only cost you hundreds of thousands of pounds, but also your job. It’s crucial to know when you can criticise those who deserve it.
5. Refraining from "stealing" images from the internet
Copyright law means you can't just download a Google image and republish it without legal consequences.
6. Allowing everyone a private life
Privacy laws are used by celebrities, sports stars, and politicians to avoid true stories about them being exposed. But when can you safely look into someone’s private life in the public interest?
7. Going undercover to expose what needs exposing
There are times when it’s okay for journalists to use subterfuge to secretly investigate wrongdoing.
8. Safely using social media
Journalists are expected to post on various platforms to tell and promote their stories. But you can get into just as much legal hot water on X or Instagram as you can writing for a mainstream newspaper or magazine.
9. Giving anonymity to the vulnerable
Reporters know of several laws which mean you can't identify certain people in your stories, such as children in court, sexual offence victims, and occasionally, much-hated, notorious criminals.
10. Being sympathetic and discreet in times of grief and shock
By studying journalism, you'll learn how to responsibly report on sensitive stories, such as suicides. You'll also learn how we should and shouldn't approach those caught up in major news stories, for example, the families of the victims of the Manchester Arena bombing, or those who’ve lost loved ones to Covid-19.
Find out more about our Journalism degrees by visiting the course pages or subject area.