Media Law
UndergraduateGRF-CMM2612025
Previously GRF-CMM26
- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Enrol by
- 26 Oct 2025
- Entry requirements
- Prior study needed
- Duration
- 13 weeks
- Start dates
- 3 Nov 2025
- Price from
- $2,124
- Upfront cost
- $0
- Loan available
- HECS-HELP and FEE-HELP available
Media Law
About this subject
This subject introduces you to the legal issues faced by journalists, public relations practitioners and other public communicators. At the completion of this subject, students should have an awareness of:
- sources of law in Australia
- their rights to access information and to maintain confidentiality of sources and materials
- the legal implications of social media, blogging and other Web 2.0 publishing
- the legal restrictions on the coverage of crimes and court cases
- what constitutes defamation, and how to adjust your reporting, writing and editing to help defend a defamation action
- aspects of copyright that affect the rights of creators and users of original work
- competing public interests affecting free expression in a democracy in other areas including privacy, national security and discrimination
- mindful work practices that will both enhance the quality of professional communication and minimise the risk of legal action.
- Media Law in the Web 2.0 era
- Free expression and mindful practice
- Legal and regulatory systems and principles
- Open justice and freedom of information
- Contempt of court
- Identifying defamation
- Defending defamation
- Keeping secrets: confidentiality and sources
- Anti-terrorism and hate laws
- Intellectual property: protecting your work and using the work of others
- Privacy
- The law of public relations, freelancing and new media entrepreneurship
Learn about legal issues relevant to professional communicators in the online era.
This subject provides an overview of legal constraints on public communication, along with an outline of law as it impacts on the Australian media and social media environment. Topics include free expression, open justice, defamation, contempt of court, publication restrictions, privacy, confidentiality, defamation, hate speech, national security laws and copyright within the context of an information society. It also addresses some key communication business laws affecting freelancers, public relations practitioners and new media entrepreneurs.
PLEASE NOTE: Media Law is taught in a full 12 week teaching mode in Study Session 1 each year. It is taught in an intensive six week teaching mode in Study Session 3, with students having the remaining six weeks to prepare for their final assessment.
- Essay/Law Reform Submission (40%)
- Final Quiz (10%)
- Final Take Home Assignment (50%)
For textbook details check your university's handbook, website or learning management system (LMS).
With a network of campuses spanning three cities in South East Queensland, Griffith University is committed to progressive multidisciplinary teaching and research and a valuable online provider with Open Universities Australia. Already attracting students from over one hundred countries, Griffith's dedication to academic excellence is available across Australia through OUA.
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- QS World University Ranking 2025, within Australia:
- 18
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- 21
Entry requirements
Equivalent subjects
You should not enrol in this subject if you have successfully completed any of the following subject(s) because they are considered academically equivalent:
GRF-CMM26 (Not currently available)
Others
Level 2 subjects normally assume an introductory level of prior knowledge in this area, e.g. from studying related Level 1 subjects or other relevant experience.
Additional requirements
No additional requirements
Study load
- 0.125 EFTSL
- This is in the range of 10 to 12 hours of study each week.
Equivalent full time study load (EFTSL) is one way to calculate your study load. One (1.0) EFTSL is equivalent to a full-time study load for one year.
Find out more information on Commonwealth Loans to understand what this means to your eligibility for financial support.
What to study next?
Once you’ve completed this subject it can be credited towards one of the following courses
UndergraduateGRF-ART-DEG
UndergraduateGRF-COM-DEG
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