On November 1, members of the media gathered at the Law Society for the annual Law and the Media Workshop to learn about the legal issues of researching and publishing in a social media environment. The Law Society and the Jack Webster Foundation partner together to host a workshop to refresh and enhance reporters’ knowledge of the law as it relates to journalism. More than 40 journalists from print, radio and online media outlets across the Lower Mainland attended.
This year’s workshop followed the fictional story of an online vigilante group that has been making serious allegations of sexual misconduct by a doctor and a teenage actor. The workshop touched on topics related to defamation, copyright, publication bans and monitoring online comments from the public on websites and social media. Attendees heard from media lawyer Dan Burnett, QC, Wendy Cox, BC and Alberta editor at the Globe and Mail, media lawyer Ludmila Herbst, QC, and Kirk LaPointe, editor-in-chief at the Business in Vancouver Media Group and vice president at Glacier Media.
The workshop had overwhelmingly positive feedback: 100 per cent of attendees surveyed said the workshop improved his/her understanding of the legal issues around reporting and journalism, 96 per cent said the workshop was informative and useful, and 100 per cent said the panellists were excellent or good.
Click here to view the workshop on the Law Society's YouTube channel.