Universitat Internacional de Catalunya

Media Law

Media Law
6
9286
2
Second semester
FB
Main language of instruction: Spanish

Teaching staff


Dr. DEL CACHO RIVERA, José Ignacio - jidelcacho@uic.es

To be arranged with faculty.

Introduction

The subject aims to introduce students to the legal framework in which the journalistic profession operates. Thus it has become an approach that integrates the essential theoretical aspects of daily practice domain in which the reporter is immersed today.

Pre-course requirements

No pre-course requirements are needed to enrol in this subject.

Objectives

  1. Knowledge: to recognise the Constitution as supreme law, as well as the identification of the powers of the state and its legal production, the system of rights and freedoms and the structure of Spain as Estado de las Autonomías.
  2. Skills: distinction of institutions and constitutional principles.
  3. Attitudes: start a humanistic approach to the text of the Constitution, especially in regard to the higher values of the legal system: freedom, equality, justice and political pluralism.

Competences/Learning outcomes of the degree programme

  • 02 CG - The ability to learn and act an autonomously and responsibly
  • 04 CG - The ability to organise time and workspace
  • 06 CG - The ability to read, analyze and synthesize
  • 08 CG - The ability to reflect and memorize.
  • 10 CG - Knowledge and mastery of bibliographic repertoires
  • 11 CG - Knowledge and mastery of different research resources
  • 16 CE - The ability to make judgments and well-argued critical assessments
  • 18 CE - Ability to detect newsworthy events
  • 26 CE - The ability to understand and apply the legal dimension of a journalistic product

Learning outcomes of the subject

The student will recognise the legal position of citizens in the rule of law and will be familiar with the professional references of a court reporter.

Students:

  1. Will learn basic knowledge of economics, law geography and history in order to be able to understand some of the major problems of modern society.
  2. They will internalize a complex vision of contemporary societies.
  3. They will understand how to spot trends.
  4. They will be able to analyze society and forge a critical and independent spirit.
  5. They will develop abilities to perform better during teamwork and create positive synergies.
  6. They will get detailed knowledge about the origins of mankind and its organization, culture, religion and privacy.

Syllabus

Theoretical part

  • Theme 1. Introduction to the theory of the State: 1. Basic elements of the State. 2. The Constitutional State. 3. The Spanish case: the 1978 Constitution. 4. The structure of the 1978 Constitution.
  • Theme 2. The Constitution and its guarantees: 1. The constitutional jurisdiction; 2. The constitutional reform; 3. The right of exception.
  • Theme 3. The functions of the State: 1. The legislative function; 2. The executive function; 3. The judicial function.
  • Theme 4.- Controls between powers. Control institutions: 1. Political control; 2. Legal control.
  • Theme 5. Freedom of information: 1. Introduction; 2. Freedom of expression and freedom of information; 3. Investigate, disseminate and receive information; 4. Freedom in the Right to information; 5. Universality and the right to information; 6. The constitutional requirement of veracity; 7. Veracity and rectification; 8. The rights of the information professional.
  • Theme 6. The right to information and the right to honor.

Practical part

The student-journalist must develop all stages involved in developing a story, from contact with the sources to the writing of the information. The thematic blocks are not linear, but this will be dealt with in classes according to the needs of each new practice.

  • Theme 1. Journalistic language: clarity, conciseness and accuracy. The style and voice of the journalist. Key narratives. Approaches (relevant and irrelevant) to the literary language. The speed and rigor.
  • Theme 2. Contact with sources. Contrasting sources of information. Justice actors and their role as sources: the lawyer, the judge, the prosecutor. Information resources.
  • Theme 3. Journalistic genres: more information, more interpretation. The news, the Chronicle, the story, the research article.
  • Theme 4. The various stages of the criminal process and the journalistic journey. The preliminary investigation and hearing.
  • Theme 5. The right to information and its relations with other fundamental rights. The institutions duty to give information. Requirements and limitations of the journalist. The press offices: barrier or resource?
  • Theme 6. Facts about chronic courts. Information routines and their influence on product quality. The primacy of the courts information. The treatment in the tabloids and on digital platforms.

Teaching and learning activities

In person



Through various training activities (oral presentations, text analysis, synthesis of content posted on the lectures) it is intended that the student is able to gain critical thinking, autonomy in the development of work in addition to knowledge presented in each one of the thematic units of the course. 

TRAINING ACTIVITYECTS CREDITS
Lectures. In lectures, lecturers/professors not only transmit content or knowledge, but also, and above all else, attitudes, motivation, skills and values, etc. They also ensure that participants can express their opinions and arguments to the other students.
3.6
Focused Praxis. Handing in occasional exercises to learn theory through practice.
0.6
Seminar. This activity will consist of taking an in-depth look at specific up-to-date topics in a monographic manner-in some cases these topics will have been debated socially-, via active work in small groups.
1
Lab. Working groups that combine theory and practice. The aim of these is not to undertake already known techniques, but instead to make progress that is both theoretical and technical. These Lab sessions will culminate in the creation of a professional or semi-professional product.
0.8

Evaluation systems and criteria

In person



The course consists of a theoretical part and a practical one, and each of them accounts for 50% of the final grade for the course.

The theoretical part will be evaluated through practical exercises, a partial exam and the final exam. The practical exercises and the partial exam account for 40% of the final grade for the theoretical part. The final exam accounts for 60% of the final grade for the theoretical part. In order to take the final exam of the theoretical part of the subject, it is required to have attended 80% of the classes of the theoretical part.

Regarding the practical part of the subject, students must hand in seven practices and take a final exam. The seven practices, which will account for 60% of the mark, will be the work delivered periodically in class and will serve to see the student's evolution. The final exam will count for 30% of the grade as it will demonstrate that the concepts taught during the course have been acquired. The remaining 10% will depend on your participation in class, the appropriate presentation of the work or your knowledge of current events. In order to take the final exam of the practical part of the subject, it is required to have attended 80% of the classes of the practical part.

Students who have not obtained at least 5 in each of the two parts of the subject must present themselves to the second call. The second call exam will deal with the entire subject. Thus, if a student has failed one part and passed the other, they will have to take the exams corresponding to both parts of the subject.

For the third and subsequent calls, it will not be mandatory for students to attend class and follow the continuous assessment and, therefore, they can only be assessed with the final exams of the theoretical part and the practical one of the subject.

The regulations of the faculty in relation to misspellings and plagiarism will be strictly observed.

Bibliography and resources

In the class lectures, mandatory or suggested readings will be offered. Basic bibliography:

ALANDETE, David. Fake news: la nueva arma de destrucción masiva. Ed. Deusto. 2019.

ALVAREZ CONDE, Enrique. Curso de Derecho Constitucional, 2 vols. Ed. Tecnos (6 ª edición), 2008.

AZURMENDI, Ana. Derecho de la información: guía jurídica para profesionales de la comunicación. Eunsa, 2001.

AZURMENDI, Ana. Derecho de la Comunicación. Guía jurídica para profesionales de los Medios. Eunsa, 2016.

BALAGUER CALLEJÓN, Francisco (coord.). Manual de derecho constitucional. 2 vols. Ed. Tecnos. 14ª Ed.  2019.

BALAGUER CALLEJÓN, María Luisa. Derecho de la información y de la comunicación. Ed. Tecnos. 2016. 

BARCELO, M., Vintró, J. (coords.). Derecho Público de Cataluña. Atelier, 2011.

ESCOBAR DE LA SERNA, Luis. Derecho de la Información. Dykinson, 2004.

MOLAS, Isidre. Derecho Constitucional. Tecnos, 2009.

ORTEGA GUTIERREZ, David. Manual de Derecho de la Información. Editorial Universitaria Ramón Areces, 2003.

SANJURJO REBOLLO, Beatriz. Manual de Derecho de la Información. Una perspectiva legal para un mundo cada día más mediático. Dykinson (2009).

URIAS, Joaquín. Principios de derecho de la información.  Ed. Tecnos. 3ª Ed. 2014.  

VV.AA. Santiago MUÑOZ MACHADO (ed.). Comentario mínimo de la Constitución Española. Ed. Crítica. 1ª Ed. 2018.

 

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