journlaw
123 FOLLOWERS
News and comment on journalism and social media law and free expression. I am a media law and ethics academic, journalist and author of books on media/social media law and mindful journalism
journlaw
1M ago
A forthcoming book on changes to investigative journalism across three key liberal democracies features a chapter I have written on the new Australian public interest defence to defamation ..read more
journlaw
2M ago
As I started to disappear into the vortex of 24/7 media coverage of the US election, I recalled the news anxiety I experienced in 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic which prompted me to write an article for The Conversation titled “Coronavirus: 5 ways to manage your news consumption in times of crisis“.
I republish an edited version here for readers …
Following events in the US while habitually checking the news on devices – and allowing 24/7 news channels to play non-stop in the background – might erode your productivity and increase stress and anxiety.
A foundational element of medi ..read more
journlaw
9M ago
By MARK PEARSON Follow @Journlaw
My latest book has been published, covering both media law and ethics for communication students and practitioners.
The Communicator’s Guide to Media Law and Ethics – A Handbook for Australian Professionals (Routledge, London and NY, 2023) offers an introduction to the key legal and ethical topics confronting Australian journalists and strategic communicators both at home and internationally and offers a suite of reflective techniques for navigating them.
It starts by positioning morals, ethics, and the law in their historical and philosophical frameworks ..read more
journlaw
1y ago
By MARK PEARSON Follow @Journlaw
A former ombudsman who sued a major newspaper for defamation offers his insights into the experience in Episode #009 of our occasional Griffith University SMALL podcast – Social Media and Law Livestream.
Griffith University Media Law students Emily Soccol and Anna Swann interview Professor John McMillan AO about his successful defamation action against the Canberra Times in 2016.
Mr McMillan has held positions of Commonwealth Ombudsman, Integrity Commissioner for the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity, Australian Information Commissio ..read more
journlaw
2y ago
By MARK PEARSON Follow @Journlaw
A forthcoming book on changes to investigative journalism across three key liberal democracies features a chapter I have written on the new Australian public interest defence to defamation.
Investigative Journalism in Changing Times – Australian and Anglo-American Reporting, is edited by University of Southern Queensland lecturer Dr Caryn Coatney, who has written five of the 12 chapters.
The book offers new insights into the crucial role of investigative journalism at a pivotal time of technological changes and upheavals.
It surveys innovations and unexpected i ..read more
journlaw
2y ago
By MARK PEARSON Follow @Journlaw
Decades of experience as a magistrate and lawyer inform the advice offered to court reporters in Episode #008 of our occasional Griffith University SMALL podcast – Social Media and Law Livestream.
Retired magistrate Antoine Bloemen. Photo: Anne Bloemen.
Griffith University Media Law student Elizabeth Heseltine interviews retired Western Australian magistrate Antoine Bloemen about the traps faced by novice court reporters, with some fascinating examples.
He draws upon his 40 years of expertise as a legal professional to share his insights into courtroom etiquett ..read more
journlaw
2y ago
By MARK PEARSON Follow @Journlaw
Episode #007 of our occasional Griffith University SMALL podcast – Social Media and Law Livestream – looks at Freedom of Information processes from a different perspective – that of a lawyer managing the Commonwealth Government’s FOI approvals and exemptions.
Griffith University Media Law student Mia Durnan interviews Senior Lawyer Rodney Durnan about Freedom of Information laws (FOI); covering basic topics like ‘what is FOI?’, the process of an application, some of the exemptions that can apply and how the FOI laws interact with privacy laws from a practical p ..read more
journlaw
2y ago
By MARK PEARSON Follow @Journlaw
In episode #006 of our occasional SMALL podcast – Social Media and Law Livestream – I speak with academic whistleblowing expert Professor A J Brown.
Professor Brown is leader of the Centre for Governance and Public Policy’s public integrity and anti-corruption research program in Griffith University’s School of Government and International Relations.
He is on the global board of the world anti-corruption organisation Transparency International and a leading expert on public interest whistleblowing. He talks about the legal framework for whistleblowers and the i ..read more
journlaw
2y ago
By MARK PEARSON Follow @Journlaw
Episode #005 of our occasional SMALL podcast – Social Media and Law Livestream – features Guardian Australia political reporter Amy Remeikis talking media law with tutor Susan Grantham.
From court and police rounds, to reporting on Australian federal politicians, Amy (pictured below) discusses how she navigates legal risks while reporting in a wired world.
This latest episode [22:11 mins] – published on The Source News – canvasses Amy’s views on recent defamation cases including the High Court judgment against media outlets’ hosted social media comments in the ..read more
journlaw
2y ago
By MARK PEARSON Follow @Journlaw
The long awaited Handbook of Global Media Ethics, edited by the internationally lauded Professor Stephen Ward, has now been published and includes my chapter on global justice, factual reporting and advocacy journalism.
It sits among 71 chapters by media ethics experts including Australia’s own Susan Forde, Kristy Hess and Ian Richards, Cait McMahon and Matthew Ricketson, Johan Lidberg, Beate Josephi and Jahnnabi Das, Kerry McCallum and Lisa Waller, Andrew Fowler and Catriona Bonfiglioli.
My chapter argues global justice can be a legitimate ethical o ..read more