Legalities My Friends!!!

Today laws and the media are changing. New technology is bringing about so much change and introducing new barriers for journalists.
Robbie Patterson identified some of the major laws that affect journalists in today’s tech savvy world. Sub Judice law; Freedom of Information; and Defamation laws.
Sub Judice is a very confusing law for journalists as it is different in every case. It deals with the ethical implications for certain journalistic reporting on court cases. The idea behind Sub Judice came out of courts trying to balance and individual’s right to a fair trial with the public’s right to know.
The Freedom of Information act was one put in place to help with journalistic investigation. When used correctly it can be a very effective way of journalists getting true information. The only problems are the expense and the fact that many things are hidden away or exempt from this act.
It was suggested that some companies who don’t want certain information leaked, will tie those who are looking into these things up for a very long time.
The other major law talked about was Defamation. This was developed with the implications that the internet has on this law. Where is the information published? Australia frowns greatly on defamation while some other countries are more lenient. If an item is published in the U.S for example, and is defamatory towards an Australian whose colleagues can access it can the case be brought to court in Australia?
John Hanlen provided a few points that journalists need to consider when publishing on line; they include:
• Being a good Journalist and publish only the truth – not assuming anything.
• Don’t be argumentative or judgemental on line.
• And be ethical and responsible in your writing.
These are good journalistic practices to have anyway.