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Communication Law and Professional Ethics

Code: 104980
Credits: 6
2026/2027
Degree programme Type Course
Journalism OB 2

Contact lecturer

Name :
Isabel Fernandez Alonso
Email :
mariaisabel.fernandez@uab.cat

Teaching staff

Marta Roel Vecino
Ana Isabel Fernández Viso
Marc Blasco Duatis

Group languages

You can consult this information at the end of the document.

Prerequisites

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Objectives

This course is intended to provide students with knowledge of the legal norms and the basic ethical principles for the practice of journalism.

Learning outcomes

  • KM02 (Identify the organisational and operational models of media systems, including media policies, regulation and legal norms.) Identify the organisational and operational models of media systems, including media policies, regulation and legal norms.
  • SM02 (Use ethical principles when producing contents and practising journalism through the regulatory and deontological framework of communication.) Use ethical principles when producing contents and practising journalism through the regulatory and deontological framework of communication.

Contents

1.- Conceptual framework, rationale and focus


2.- Source system and jurisprudence in the Spanish legal system


3.- Communication rights in the Spanish Constitution: freedom of expression, right to information, conscience clause, professional secrecy and right of retraction


4.- Limits to communication rights: individual rights to honor, privacy, self-image and protection of personal data


5.- Limits to communication rights: public interests (national security and official secrets, public order, public health, morals, and protection of youth and children)


6.- Publicity of public authorities’ activity


7.- Pluralism in the media system: internal (public media) and external (regulation on concentration)


8.- Self-regulation. Internal mechanisms: stylebooks, editorial statutes and ombudsman


9.- Self-regulation. External mechanisms: deontological codes and press councils. Independent regulators


10.- Balance and future challenges

Learning activities and methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Personal study 85 3.4
Exams 6 0.24
Seminar 16 0.64
Master class 32 1.28
Tutoring 5 0.2

There will be two hours of theory and one hour of seminar per week.

Seminars will focus on deontological issues.


A detailed schedule outlining the content of each session will be presented on the first day of the course and will be available on the course’s Virtual Campus, where students will find all teaching materials and necessary information for effective course monitoring. Should the teaching modality change for reasons of force majeure according to the competent authorities, the teaching staff will inform students of any modifications to the course schedule and teaching methodologies.

Annotation: within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Assessment

Continuous assessment activities

Title Weight Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Final theory test 50% 2 0.08 KM02
Partial theory test 20% 2 0.08 KM02
Seminar test 30% 2 0.08 SM02

Activity A: Partial theory test, 20% of the final grade. Material covered in this test will not be excluded in final test.

Activity B: Seminar test (or tests), 30% of the final grade.

Activity C: Final theory test, 50% of the final grade.


Students are required to pass the final theory test in order to pass the course.

There will be a re-sit opportunity only in the case of the final theory test,


The single assessment will consist of taking all the tests on the same day (the day of the final theory test), consecutively. As in the continuous evaluation system, only the final theory test will be re-assessable.

No synthesis test is planned.

A \"not evaluable\" will be assigned when activity C has not been completed.


In this course, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is permitted as an integral part of assignment development, provided that the final outcome demonstrates a significant contribution from the student in terms of analysis and personal reflection. Students must clearly identify any content generated using AI, specify the tools employed, and include a critical reflection on how these technologies have influenced both the process and the final result of the assignment. Failure to disclose the use of AI in this assessed activity will be considered a breach of academic integrity and may result in a partial or total penalty to the assignment grade, or more serious sanctions in severe cases.


The performance of any irregularity in an evaluation act (academic fraud, plagiarism or improper use of AI, unless this use is expressly authorized by the teaching guide), which may lead to a significant variation in the grade, assumes that this act will be graded with a 0. In the event that the teaching guide foresees that in order to pass the subject it is an essential requirement to have obtained a minimum grade in this evaluation act or that there are several irregularities in the evaluation acts of the same subject, the final grade of this subject is 0. Apart from this, a disciplinary process may be instructed to the student that incurs any of these irregularities.

Bibliography

Class manual:

Martínez Otero, Juan: Lessons in Communication Law. Valencia: Tirant lo Blanch, 2018.

For both lectures and seminar sessions compulsory readings and recommended complementary texts for each topic will be provided.

Software

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Course groups and languages

The information provided is provisional until November 30. After this date, you will be able to consult the language of each group through this link. To access the information, you will need to enter the course CODE

Type of teaching Group Language Semester Shift
(TE) Theory 1 Spanish second semester morning-mixed
(TE) Theory 2 Spanish second semester morning-mixed
(SEM) Seminars 11 Spanish second semester morning-mixed
(SEM) Seminars 12 Spanish second semester morning-mixed
(SEM) Seminars 13 Spanish second semester morning-mixed
(SEM) Seminars 21 Spanish second semester morning-mixed
(SEM) Seminars 22 Spanish second semester morning-mixed
(SEM) Seminars 23 Spanish second semester morning-mixed