After my very first lesson on Law and Ethics in Journalism, I am 100% sure that I am going to be Chris Horrie's very first student sent to jail. There are so many slip-ups, that, me-being-me am sure to make.
With many instances that occur with my mum or sister I feign complete innocence and that I never knew what I was doing was wrong. Something that I can not do as a Journalist. Or, you guessed it, I'm off to prison.
I'm also always the person that has her mobile on her at the wrong moments. Such as theatres, in the cinema or in an exam; yes I'm the one that has to make the long walk up to the front to put my mobile away. This being a casual thing that happens to me all the time, is a very definite way of me being in contempt of Court.
Being sued for Libel is the only one I am not worried about. I personally do not want to write malicious things about people. I also do not want to write for the gossip magazines, even though, I do enjoy to read them every now and again.
I'm looking forward to my next Law and Ethics class, I need to pay attention and keep myself from being arrested!
I am not sure that it is contempt of court to take a mobile phone in to court - but it definately is contempt to make a recording without the permission of the judge at least. I saw a barrister's mobile phone go off in court a couple of years ago and the judge went nuts and fined him on the spot in the form of 'a recommended donation to charity of £1,000'. I have never had a student sent to jail but a student at LCP was cautioned for trying to communicate with the jury. Alas I had a photojournalism student who was shot and killed (also when I was at LCP) this was during the war in Bosnia. I have colleagues and friends as journalists who have been killed, including David Hodge. I know many journalists who have been threatened. So journalism is a risky business - as well as a fun business. Around the world there are many journalists in jail, and many are murdered - see Committee for the Protection of Journalists : http://www.cpj.org/
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