Media law is a fast-developing area of scholarship that raises many
high-profile and controversial questions. Recent issues include the use
of privacy injunctions, the regulation of the press, the political power
of media moguls, mass leaks of government information, and the
responsibility of the digital media to prevent the spread of extreme
content and fake news. This study looks at these issues and the key
debates in media law. The book includes chapters examining the
protection of personal rights to reputation and privacy, the
administration of justice, the role of government censorship, the
protection of the newsgathering process, the regulation of the media and
the impact of digital communications. The analysis is grounded in an
account of media freedom that looks at the important democratic
functions performed by the media and journalism. Examining various key
themes, this study shows how those functions continue to evolve in a
changing political culture and also how the media are subject to a range
of legal and informal constraints. The book asks whether the law strikes
the right balance in protecting media freedom while preventing the abuse
of media power, and considers the future of media law in the digital
era. It is essential reading for students and scholars of media law
alike.
