McNae's Essential Law for Journalists

Mike Dodd is the Press Association's legal editor and a member of the NCTJ's Media Law Examinations Board. He is a qualified lawyer with nearly 50 years' experience as a working journalist. Mark Hanna is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Sheffield and Chair of the NCTJ Media Law Examinations Board. He was an award-winning crime and investigations reporter.

Part 1: The Landscape of Law, Ethics and Regulation
1: Introduction
2: Press regulation
3: Broadcast regulation
4: News-gathering avoiding unjustified intrusion
Part 2: Crime, Courts and Tribunals
5: Crime - media coverage prior to any court case
6: Crimes - categories and definitions
7: Magistrates' courts - summary cases
8: Magistrates' courts - the most serious criminal cases
9: Crown courts and appeal courts
10: Juveniles in court proceedings
11: Sexual offences, human trafficking and female genital mutilation
12: Court reporting - other restrictions
13: Civil courts
14: Family courts
15: Open justice and access to court information
16: Challenging the courts
17: Coroners' courts
18: Tribunals and public inquiries
19: Contempt of court
Part 3: Defamation and Related Law
20: Defamation - definitions and dangers
21: The claimant and what must be proved
22: Defences
23: The public interest defence
24: The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974
25: Slander, malicious falsehood and obscenity
Part 4: Confidentiality, Privacy and Copyright
26: Breach of confidence
27: Privacy
28: Data protection
29: Copyright
Part 5: Information and Expression
30: The Freedom of Information Act 2000
31: Other information rights and access to meetings
32: Reporting elections
33: Official secrets
34: The journalist's sources and neutrality
35: The risks of being charged with bribery, misconduct, hacking or intercepting
36: The right to take photographs, film and record
37: Northern Ireland
Part 6: Online Chapters
38: The incitement of hate
39: Scotland
40: Terrorism and the effect of counter-terrorism law