The Media Law Podcast

As Twitter and Facebook suspend President Trump's accounts in the wake of the deadly riots at the US Capitol, Colette, Paul and Tom discuss whether this amounts to too little, too late.

Colette, Tom and Paul are back together and it's all kicking off in the final Newscast of 2020! We've got suspensions at Labour and the Tate, OFCOM's proposals to regulate streaming services, the Depp appeal, and an update from the Vardy v Rooney libel case.

Tom and Paul are joined by Prof. Nicole Moreham (Victoria University of Wellington) to discuss recent cases on the privacy rights of criminal suspects at the pre-charge stage, and whether, by protecting these rights, the law of privacy is encroaching into space that should be left to the law of defamation.

Colette and Tom discuss the fallout from Johnny Depp's failed libel claim as the High Court rules Depp is a wife-beater. Tom also talks to Alexandros Antoniou (Essex) about a potential future libel claim between Drag Race UK star Crystal and the actor Laurence Fox.

Tom and Paul talk about the granting of charitable status to the Public Interest News Foundation with its founder, Jonathan Heawood, and explore what public interest journalism means today.

Colette, Tom and Paul unpack the issues of: some newly banned teaching materials, employee surveillance at home, updates from the Markle and Vardy cases, and the case of Enola Holmes and the Curious Copyright Claim.

Tom, Paul and Colette are back from the academic summer "break"! In this episode, they discuss some of the summer's bigger Media Law stories, including Extinction Rebellion's blockade of newspaper presses and the ongoing extradition case of Julian Assange.

Colette, Tom and Paul rake over the Harper's "cancel culture" letter, and discuss other news in the Media Law world, including the ongoing Johnny Depp libel case.

Colette, Tom and Paul rake over recent news in the world of media law, including: police attacks on US journalists, the Supreme Court's ruling on s.4 Defamation Act in the Serafin case, and UK Attorney-General Suella Braverman's tweet in defence of Dominic Cummings. Colette is then joined for a special interview by Prof. Nicholas Allard, former Dean of Brooklyn Law School, about President Donald T...

Tom and Paul are joined by RonNell Andersen Jones (U. of Utah) to discuss the 'marketplace of ideas' theory of free speech. Can it survive in a post-truth world?

Colette, Tom and Paul link up for a bumper dose of Media Law headlines, including the privacy implications of the UK government's new contact-tracing app, the legal action potentially facing the Labour party over its most recent leaked report, and a word on the latest High Court wranglings in the Markle v. Mail saga.

Tom Bennett is joined by Peter Coe (Reading) and Holly Powell-Jones (City) to discuss the rise of COVID-related misinformation on social media, and what - if anything - the law can do about it. There's also time for a quick word about how university teaching has changed during the pandemic.

Colette and Tom are back with an extended Newscast dealing with all things Coronavirus. They look at the new Act of Parliament which extends provisions for remote court hearings, discuss the privacy implications of a proposed contact-tracing app, and ponder the legality of Derbyshire police's use of a drone to shame dog-walkers in the Peak District.

In this episode, Tom Bennett and Paul Wragg are joined by Prof. Brian Cathcart (Kingston), founding member of Hacked Off, to discuss the future of media regulation in the UK, in the wake of Caroline Flack’s death. Has the time come for compulsory press regulation?

Colette Allen discusses the Met's roll-out of facial recognition technology and John Ware's libel claim against the Labour party with Tom Bennett, and then chats to Paul Wragg about whether s.40 of the Crime and Courts Act really is a threat to press freedom.

Tom Bennett and Paul Wragg dissect Associated Newspapers Ltd's defence to Meghan Markle's High Court privacy claim. Tom also chats to Canadian legal scholar Hilary Young (University of New Brunswick) about the prospects of the seclusion-seeking royals successfully protecting their privacy in Canada.

Tom chairs a debate between David Acheson (Kent) and Peter Coe (Reading) about companies' rights to reputation. Should companies be able to sue in defamation? What is the basis for their rights? And does the Defamation Act 2013 succeed in striking the right balance between them and freedom of expression?

Colette and Tom discuss the latest election shenanigans, including the OFCOM decision on ice-sculpture-gate and Facebook's response to political adverts distorting BBC news clips. Colette also interviews cave-diving hero Vernon Unsworth's lawyer, Mark Stephens, about his libel claim against Elon Musk in California.

The Media Law Podcast and the Bang To Rights podcast team up for a special crossover episode! MLP host Tom Bennett and Bang To Rights regulars Pete Murray and Eleanor Shember-Critchley discuss the UK election from legal and journalistic perspectives. There's also a word on the protests in Hong Kong, and their implications for journalists covering them.

Colette and Tom hone in on the week's news, with anonymity for defendants in a high-profile murder case and Prince Andrew's Newsnight interview on the agenda. Alongside this, they discuss various election-related legal matters.

Tom talks to Emma Nottingham (University of Winchester) about her research into sharenting and its effect on today's children. They consider what this practice means for children's privacy, how harmful it is, and what needs to change if we are to address it adequately.

Colette and Tom dissect the week's Media Law news, looking at Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy's Instagram-based ructions, the Daily Mail's publication of leaked private pictures of US Congresswoman Katie Hill, and the broadcasting rules coming into play this election season.

Colette Allen is joined by Paul Wragg to discuss the BBC/Naga Munchetty racism row, and by Boston-based IP lawyer Deborah Peckham for a discussion of the copyright implications of a certain phrase in US singer-songwriter Lizzo's track, Truth Hurts.

Colette Allen joins the team and anchors the new Newscast edition of the MLP. Tom Bennett and Alexandros Antoniou offer their opinions on the headlines.

Tom and Paul are joined by Rebecca Moosavian and Peter Coe for a chat about The Sun's reporting of tragedy in Ben Stokes' family history. Tom and Paul also discuss Jacob Rees-Mogg MP's use of Parliamentary privilege to verbally attack Dr David Nicholl without attracting liability. For the procedural geeks in the room, there's also mention of the new CPR Part 53.