Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 2, 2025 (28/07/2025 - 22/11/2025)
- Study level
- Undergraduate
- Location
- St Lucia
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Law School
This course is an intermediate level examination of the legal and regulatory issues pertaining to Media Law in Australia and internationally. The course seeks to develop students' awareness of the complex issues inherent in the regulation of the Media and newsgathering and reportage practices and new media regulation.
The course considers significant areas of law that apply to media organizations and media practitioners, and that affect the content of information available to the general public. These include defamation, other laws protecting personal and commercial reputation from injury and appropriation, access to information and controls on its reporting, contempt of court, the emerging tort of privacy, breach of confidence and laws that control commercial use of persona and images. A major focus is the extent to which laws accommodate competing interests, such as freedom of communication, reputation and privacy. It analyses laws that enable the media to access information, and to report and discuss matters of public interest.
Course requirements
Prerequisites
You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:
All level 1 LAWS courses
Incompatible
You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:
LAWS7127 or 7327
Restrictions
LLB(Hons) and LLB(Hons) dual programs.
Course contact
Lecturer
Mr Peter Applegarth
Course staff
Course coordinator
Miss Sarah Holland
Mr Peter Applegarth
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Additional timetable information
This course is timetabled to be taught from 5-8pm on Tuesdays. This course is taught in-person only.
Aims and outcomes
Teaching Mission Statement
The mission of the TC Beirne School of Law is to educate students in and about the law. We seek to assist you to think critically about the law and to investigate its structures, principles, policies, and values. This is achieved by engaging with you as fellow investigators in a range of critical and intellectual conversations about the law and its place in society. Our role is thus to guide you in your own intellectual journey in the law and to equip you with the necessary skills that will enable you to continue that journey long after you have left the School.
Course Aims
The broad aims of the course are to enable students:- to be familiar with the content of significant laws that affect media content in Australia and comparable jurisdictions; and
- to be aware of the principles that courts apply when reconciling claims by media against competing claims by individuals and corporations.
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Understand the concept of freedom of communication and its significance in determining the rights of the media to access and publish information.
LO2.
Understand laws that restrict the medias access to and publication of information including defamation, injurious falsehood, misleading and deceptive conduct, passing off, the law of contempt, common law protection for privacy, and the law relating to confidential information, and laws that apply to offensive publications.
LO3.
Analyse issues in media law in their historical and social context.
LO4.
Be aware of the different approaches in a number of legal jurisdictions to the protection of rights and interests affecting the media.
LO5.
Critically analyse claims by the media and others to legal protection.
LO6.
Acquire the knowledge and analytical skills to advise media and other clients.
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay/ Critique |
Mid-semester Assignment
|
40% |
18/09/2025 2:00 pm |
| Examination |
End of Semester Exam
|
60% |
End of Semester Exam Period 8/11/2025 - 22/11/2025 |
Assessment details
Mid-semester Assignment
- Online
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Essay/ Critique
- Weight
- 40%
- Due date
18/09/2025 2:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06
Task description
Students will be required to complete an analytical essay based on a problem or factual scenario.
This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI and/or MT technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance.
A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission independent of AI and MT tools.
Submission guidelines
This assignment is to be submitted electronically to the subject blackboard site under Assessments.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 7 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Extension to Assessment Due Date
An extension for an assessment item due within the teaching period in which the course is offered will generally be limited to one week in the first instance. In exceptional circumstances, approved extensions may be granted for more than one week but will not exceed four weeks in total. Where a student is incapacitated for a period exceeding four weeks of the teaching period, they should be advised to apply for removal of course.
A student may apply for an extension to assessment due date if they are unable to meet an assessment deadline due to extenuating circumstances. Please refer to the Applying for an extension page on my.UQ for further details on acceptable reasons for an extension and for instructions on how to apply. Additional information on extensions can be found within the Assessment Procedure.
Spoken or written notification of difficulties with assessment deadlines to a course coordinator or the School does not constitute an authorised extension.
Applications to be submitted before the due date: Applications for extension (whether they be medical or exceptional circumstances) shall be made by the due date and time for the assessment. Requests for extensions received after the assessment item submission due date and time, must include evidence of the reason for the late request, and will require the decision maker listed in the Student Grievance Resolution Procedure to accept the request for consideration.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Penalties for Late Submission
The following penalties apply to late submission of an assessment item, assuming that an extension has not been approved, and that late submission is academically possible (e.g., it does not delay feedback to a cohort, or interfere with course delivery).
First 7 periods of 24 hours (or part thereof) - 10% per 24 hours of the maximum possible mark for the assessment item. For example, a report worth a maximum of 40 marks, submitted 28 hours late will attract a penalty of 8 marks, calculated as 2 periods of 24 hours x 10% x 40 marks.
More than 7 periods of 24 hours - 100%.
End of Semester Exam
- In-person
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Examination
- Weight
- 60%
- Due date
End of Semester Exam Period
8/11/2025 - 22/11/2025
- Other conditions
- Secure.
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06
Task description
This assessment task is to be completed in-person. The use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT) tools will not be permitted. Any attempted use of AI or MT may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Exam details
| Planning time | 10 minutes |
|---|---|
| Duration | 90 minutes |
| Calculator options | No calculators permitted |
| Open/closed book | Open book examination - any written or printed material is permitted; material may be annotated |
| Exam platform | Paper based |
| Invigilation | Invigilated in person |
Submission guidelines
Deferral or extension
You may be able to defer this exam.
Course grading
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Grade | Cut off Percent | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (Low Fail) | 0 - 19 |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 2 (Fail) | 20 - 47 |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) | 48 - 49 |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes |
| 4 (Pass) | 50 - 64 |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 5 (Credit) | 65 - 74 |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 6 (Distinction) | 75 - 84 |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 7 (High Distinction) | 84 - 100 |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is available for this course.
Additional assessment information
Further assessment information, including marking criteria and standards, will be provided on the course Blackboard site.
Learning resources
You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.
Library resources
Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.
Additional learning resources information
Useful summaries of English and European Case law may be found at www.5rb.com
Australian Copyright Council www.copyright.org.au
Media and Arts Law Review available on Lexis Nexis
Learning activities
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
Please select
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Week 1 |
Seminar |
Seminar 1 What is Media Law? Applying and adapting old laws to new media. Freedom of communication: Philosophical justifications for protecting freedom of speech. The interests being protected. Freedom of the press. Comparative insights: US, UK and European jurisprudence. Constitutional protections in Australia the implied freedom to discuss government or political matters. Competing interests. Reputation and its legal protection. Overview of laws that protect personal, commercial and business reputation and the diverse interests they protect. The use of legal remedies in reputation management and the exploitation of reputation and celebrity. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
Week 2 |
Seminar |
Seminar 2 Defamation: Historical Overview. The problem of defining what is defamatory. General Principles of liability. The issue of publication. Defamatory Meaning. Identification. Corporations and Defamation. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L05, L06 |
Week 3 |
Seminar |
Seminar 3 Defamation Defences: truth, contextual truth, qualified privilege, honest opinion and reporting public documents and proceedings. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L05, L06 |
Week 4 |
Seminar |
Seminar 4 Defamation Defences: truth, contextual truth, qualified privilege, honest opinion and reporting public documents and proceedings. Social Media and the Law. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06 |
Week 5 |
Seminar |
Seminar 5 Privacy. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06 |
Week 6 |
Seminar |
Seminar 6 Privacy and Breach of Confidence. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06 |
Week 7 |
Seminar |
Seminar 7 Contempt of Court: principles of liability. The Media and the Courts. Prejudicial publicity and its consequences. Defences to contempt of court proceedings. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L05, L06 |
Week 8 |
Seminar |
Seminar 8 How legislation chills freedom of speech. National security laws and press freedoms, access to information, criminalising dealings with and publishing certain information, and enabling authorities to track and monitor journalists. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L05, L06 |
Week 11 |
Seminar |
Seminar 9 Offensive Publications and Anti-discrimination. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L05, L06 |
Week 12 |
Seminar |
Seminar 10 Online Regulation of Media Content Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L05, L06 |
Policies and procedures
University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:
- Student Code of Conduct Policy
- Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Examinations Procedure
- Reasonable Adjustments for Students Policy and Procedure
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.
School guidelines
Your school has additional guidelines you'll need to follow for this course: