Main Page > BS Journalism Studies (Morning/Self-Supporting) (After 2 Years ADP) > Media Laws & Ethics
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Media Laws & Ethics
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This is a rapidly changing and complex legal environment for journalists, publicists, and other creative entrepreneurs. This is not a course to prepare them to practice law but how to see the fuzzy and the bright lines and when to call on legal help. The goal is to keep them and their employer out of trouble. Overall, this course will aim to give students the essential legal framework of their rights and responsibilities as journalists. 1. Students will learn about their legal rights and obligations. 2. The course will educate students on how to publish information without violating defamation and invasion of privacy, how to gather information to avoid legal and/or ethical trouble, and how to deal with the summons. 3. They will also examine how to navigate the digital space of contemporary journalism and focus on Fair Use, and other laws, policies, and best practices in the use of photographs, trademarks, film clips, and other copyrighted works. 4. Media professionals are often faced with difficult decisions in which more than one choice may seem appropriate. The goal of this course is not to teach students what is a “right” or “wrong” decision, but to teach them how to think about right and wrong, and make better decisions. 5. Students will just not examine contemporary ethical issues related to mass media but also develop critical thinking abilities about the issues. They will be given real-world cases involving media practitioners’ ethical dilemmas. 6. It aims to explore the impact of the internet on the practice of journalism and other creative fields and how new communications technologies are regulated today. Learning Outcomes By the end of the course, students will be able to efficiently 1. Demonstrate knowledge of the main areas of media law, including libel, invasion of privacy, obscenity, commercial speech, and the freedom of the press. 2. Define basic legal terminology. 3. Articulate and defend legal rights and ethical values practices and responsibilities under Pakistan’s laws. 4. Explain current legal issues impacting journalists. 5. Avoid claims of defamation and invasion of privacy. 6. Properly use copyrighted works and trademarks. 7. Recognize best contemporary ethical and professional practices in the digital space, as dictated by legal standards. 8. Able to recognize moral dimensions of issues in journalism and other forms of mass communication. 9. Develop critical thinking skills that will move them to an understanding of broader ramifications of events and decisions. 10. Will be able to understand and apply a wide range of decision-making skills to doing ethics in media practice. 11. Will be able to see how moral development, values, and loyalties affect the decision-making in media practice Course Contents • Freedom of the Press and Social Responsibility • A brief overview of the evolution of press laws in the sub-continent and Pakistan. • Press Laws in Pakistan- An overview • Article 19 & 19A of the Constitution of Pakistan • Salient features of the current press ordinances:- PEMRA Ordinance 2002. Press Council Ordinance2002 Defamation Ordinance 2002 Freedom of Information Ordinance 2002 Copyrights Ordinance 1967 Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-organization) Act, 1996 Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016 Removal and Blocking of Unlawful Online Content (Procedure, Oversight, and Safeguards) Rules, 2020 (RBUOCR’20), Other Acts contain various provisions dealing with the media. These laws include but are not limited to: The Pakistan Penal Code, 1860 The Telegraph Act 1885 The Post Office Act, 1898 The Contempt of Court Act, 1973 The Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-Organization) Ac, 1996 • Defining Ethics • Origins of Ethical theory • Ethics morality and values • Ethical dilemmas • Ethics and Law • Social Responsibility • Ethics and codes • Four classic theories of ethics • Justification models • Moral development and expansion of empathy • Exploring themes of ethical issues in journalism • Journalistic code of ethics- an Islamic perspective • The violations of ethics in Pakistan (deadline and ethics; Privacy, corruption, personal interests, etc.) • External and internal pressures on media • Codes of Ethics International and national codes of ethics The course will be taught with examples from Case Laws in Pakistan with an open discussion on the impact of these decisions. It will also focus on how these different laws affect freedom of expression. They will be given real-world cases involving media practitioners’ ethical dilemmas. |
| Credit hours/ Marks:- 3 |
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