Media law lite

Once upon a time there was McNae's Essential Law for Journalists, designed to be the standard (and for many years, the only) textbook for aspiring journalists studying for the NCTJ law exam.

More recently, the expansion in the number and variety of journalism courses has prompted a similar growth in the market for media law books.

Most of these have set out to be a thorough treatise on the subject, addressing all the usual areas in some depth. But a new addition to the range has different aspirations. 

Newsdesk Law is a slim volume which its creators describe as a no-frills, user-friendly learning aid for journalism students. It aims to complement other media law learning resources, rather than replace them.

Written by Vincent Kelly, a former regional newspaper editor turned university lecturer, the book has enough detail on the key areas of libel and contempt of court to act as a valuable aide memoire. It also includes a very practical guide to how the courts work, with useful (redacted) examples of real-life court lists, and even a custody sheet with a guide to their interpretation.

Kelly is a qualified lawyer and, for me, where this book scores over some others is in its succinct explanation of the developing area of privacy. This is well targeted at journalists, with enough background and examples to put it in context without going too deeply into the legal arguments. 

The shifting sands of case law in this area may render it out-of-date before long, but the publisher says there will be an associated website with regular updates - although this is not mentioned in the book.

There is also a good section on the Freedom of Information Act, including a practical guide to making a request and the options open to a journalist if an organisation declines to provide the requested information.

Copyright gets a brief section to itself, with a top-level mention of everything most journalists would need to know in this area.

One surprise is the way the web gets short shrift. Given the number of journalism careers that now begin with, or otherwise involve, the internet, it might be thought there would be some mention of libel and contempt issues in connection with an online presence. However, with the exception of the copyright section, there's little about the impact of the web on the way journalists go about their business.

Overall, this is a useful little book that any journalist could keep close to hand for quick reference. You may still need to refer to a weightier volume if you want the whole story - but that is what was intended.

Newsdesk Law, by Vincent Kelly, is published by Millstream Publications, at £10.

Kevin Steele is the Senior Legal Trainer at the BBC College of Journalism.