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Media and the Law: Regulation, Governance, Ethics

Module description

This module explores the concept of media governance and regulation, focusing on the legal, ethical, and political frameworks that shape the production, distribution, and consumption of media content. You will critically examine the roles of governments, regulatory bodies, and industry stakeholders in ensuring that media systems operate in ways that serve public interests while balancing freedom of expression, commercial interests, and societal values. Through case studies and contemporary examples, you will gain insights into the challenges and complexities of regulating emerging media technologies, including social media, streaming platforms, and artificial intelligence. There are no pre-requisites or co-requisites for this module, and no specialist knowledge, skills, or experience are required to take it.

Module aims - intentions of the module

This module aims to:

• Introduce you to contemporary debates around media regulation, with a key focus on social media and big tech.
• Provide you with a comprehensive understanding of the principles and practices of media regulation and governance.
• Equip you with the critical tools to assess and engage with debates on media policy and governance in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
• Enable you to analyse and critique the ethical and practical implications of media regulation in today's global media environment.
• Situate contemporary debates about media regulation in a wider historical context.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Understand the key issues related to media governance, regulation and law.
• 2. Critically assess the impact of media regulation in relation to current regulatory debates.
• 3. Evaluate the role of regulatory bodies and government in media industries.

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 4. Analyse relevant theoretical ideas and concepts across interdisciplinary intersections.
• 5. Demonstrate a critical ability to analyse legal and ethical challenges relating to digital media.

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 6. Manage relevant learning resources, learning strategies and your own time confidently and independently.
• 7. Demonstrate research and bibliographic skills

Syllabus plan

The content will vary from year to year, but it is envisioned that the module will cover some or all of the following topics:

• Global perspectives on media regulations
• Broadcasting standards
• Press Regulation
• UK/EU Broadcasting Law & the shift to regulation of online, streaming content
• Advertising regulation
• Article 10, Freedom of Speech and the reasonable limits thereon with a view to protecting the Article 6 right to a fair trial, in the context of media reporting the courts
• Social media regulation (e.g. online safety bill, content moderation, etc.)
• Fake news, fact checking, and disinformation
• Moral panics and media effects debates around video game and film violence
• Protection of journalists sources and materials, including digital resources and communications, from undue state / police interference.

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e., a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

• Epstein, D., Katzenbach, C., & Musiani, F. (2016). Doing internet governance: Practices, controversies, infrastructures, and institutions. Internet Policy Review, 5(3).
• Flyverbom, M., Deibert, R., & Matten, D. (2019). The governance of digital technology, Big data, and the internet: New roles and responsibilities for business. Business & Society, 58(1), 3-19.
• Gillespie, T. (2018). Custodians of the Internet: Platforms, Content Moderation, and the Hidden Decisions That Shape Social Media. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press.
• McChesney, R. W. (2013). Digital Disconnect: How Capitalism is Turning the Internet Against Democracy. New York: New Press.
• Puppis, M. (2010). Media governance: A new concept for the analysis of media policy and regulation. Communication, Culture & Critique, 3(2), 134–149.
• Roberts, S. T. (2019). Behind the Screen: Content Moderation in the Shadows of Social Media. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press.
• Yeung, K. (2008). Towards an understanding of regulation by design. In R. Brownsword & K. Yeung (Eds.), Regulating Technologies: Legal Futures, Regulatory Frames and Technological Fixes. Oxford: Hart Publishing.

Key words search

Media Law; Regulation; Governance; Ethics; Democracy; Rights; Fact Checking; Social Media Content Moderation