REVIEWS
| Published date | 01 September 1996 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2230.1996.tb02693.x |
| Date | 01 September 1996 |
REVIEWS
Mark Armstrong, David Lindsay and Ray Watterson,
Media Law in Australia
(3rd ed), Melbourne and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995,
xii
+
307pp, pb
$15.99.
Media
Law
in
Australia
is a lively, easy to read introduction to what is a very
disparate subject. Not intended to
be
an encyclopaedic catalogue, the book aims
only to acquaint the reader with some of the greater issues, and this it does
admirably; a particularly difficult assignment when one remembers that media law
is less a unified body of knowledge and more
an
eclectic assemblage of principles,
statutes and devices drawn largely from general areas of tort and civil liberties.
Written
in
brisk, running style, the text is both entertaining (excuse the pun) for the
lay person and precise enough for those with some legal training. Throughout, brief
case summaries are used to illustrate argument and example, with ample
referencing for those wishing to delve deeper into more substantive areas of law.
This also creates
an
amusing aspect to the manual, as unique insights are offered
into Australian life. Notable examples include the Tasmanian case about a dispute
between friends over who would pay for the drinks at
a
racecourse bar, and to
actions taken by one young man against a local newspaper for implying that he was
slightly effeminate and less than manly.
Chapter one briefly charts the Australian common law system, highlighting
different sources, tensions between federal and state legislation, and the import of
foreign judgments delivered in English, New Zealand and Canadian courts. This is
followed by two chapters justifiably devoted to defamation, a powerful body of
law, with great relevance for anyone involved in the media industry. The remainder
of the book then skirts its way through a diversity of subjects, including copyrights,
intellectual property, access to information, advertising, radio, television and
newspaper regulation. Indeed, given the enormity of their remit, the authors should
be commended on producing a review that is both brief and
yet
also
comprehensive. Moreover, although compiled by three writers, the work shows
no sign of discontinuity, and instead hangs together well as a fully integrated
whole.
In
the
past, journalists and other media practitioners needed to know only
a
few
brief rules of thumb on subjects such as libel, defamation and copyright in order to
go about their work. However, times have changed and
Media
Law
in
Australia
is
an excellent source for (Australian) media professionals wishing to understand the
law’s growing influence over their industry. In the UK, similar professionals might
also find the work of passing interest, whilst lawyers should treat
it
as
a perfect
concise introduction before moving on to more specialist texts.
Alex Mehta*
*Centre
for
Socio-Legal Studies,
Oxford.
€3
The Modern Law Review Limited
1996
(MLR
595,
September). Published by Blackwell Publishers,
108
Cowley Road, Oxford
OX4
IJF
and
238
Main Street, Cambridge, MA
02142,
USA.
76
1
To continue reading
Request your trial