The document summarizes several key laws related to media in the UK, including: - The Race Relations Act 1976, which prevents racial discrimination in areas like employment, education, and public services. - The Human Rights Act 1998, which protects fundamental freedoms like freedom of speech and privacy that are important for journalists. - The Licensing Act 2003, which requires establishments serving alcohol, late night refreshments or entertainment to hold a license. - Privacy, copyright, libel, obscenity, and broadcasting acts which regulate what can be published or broadcast in terms of private information, intellectual property, defamation, inappropriate content, and control over programming.

1. Race Relations Act 1976
Established by the British Parliament in 1976 to prevent any racial discrimination. The act covers all discrimination against race, colour,
gender, nationality and ethnicity. It also covers discrimination in the workplace, education and public functions. The act gives everybody
the same rights no matter what. It prevents industries- such as the media industry- from making discriminating judgements or acts- such
as hiring a female as make-up artist purely because they believed a male couldn’t do the job or making racial jokes in a film or TV show.
The race relations act has now changed to the Equality Act.
A case that has become relatively well known in recent months is the Jeremy Clarkson nursery rhyme. It was claimed that he used racist
language during the filming of Top Gear which was later edited out in the editorial room, however years later the footage was leaked. The
act helps prevent from any racist remarks such as this one being broadcasted.
Human Rights Act 1998
The Human Rights Act was set Up by The British Parliaments in 1998; however it did not come into place until 2nd October 2000. The act
provides us with fundamental freedoms such as the freedom of speech, right to privacy, right to own property, the right to judgement,
the right to think and so much more.
This act is very important in the Media industry- particularly for journalists. It allows them to give view points, make judgements and freely
say what they want- as long as they break no other act. Without it, what they say could easily be controlled by a higher anarchy or the
government. They have the freedom to report what they want they want and how they want.

2. Licensing Act 2003
Established by the British Parliament in 2003, the act states that any establishment that supplies alcohol, late night refreshments or
entertainment must have a license. This is a single integrated licensing scheme- the license covers all three activities. Within each authority
there will be a licensing comity made up of around ten to fifteen people.
Privacy Law
The privacy law refers to the laws that deal with the regulations of private information which can be collected by the government as well
as other private organisations. Everyone has the right to privacy and whilst this law does cover specific areas such as privacy at home and
financially one major factor of it is privacy of information both online and publicly. In the media industry are information is essential to
marketers, however unless we give it to them they have no right to it. An example of when the privacy law would come into place is if for
example a health service sold on our information- this is against the law.

3. Copyright & Intellectual Property
Law
The intellectual property law states that any creations of the mind are legally property of the individual- they have exclusive rights to it
whether it be a poem, musical, literal or artistic piece of work. The law protects individuals from anyone else claiming it was there ‘idea’,
they are the only w=one’s able to gain recognition or profit from it.
The copyright law gives the creator of a piece of work its exclusive rights to the use and distribution of it. They are the right holders to the
work; they are the only ones that can decide its ‘fate’. Copyright is important in the media industry as it stops individuals or companies
claiming or producing a piece of work that isn’t theirs. For example if Disney were to write a script and then a few weeks later Pixar have
produced a film using the same script they would be breaking the law. The law would protect this from happening to Disney.
Libel law
It allows action for libel to be brought to higher court if a published statement is made about someone that allegedly defames them,
causing them to lose trade or for someone to think less of them- especially if it’s no true. It protects individuals from the media industry-

4. the news could not make an untrue or unfair statement about a politician which could ruin his career for example. There is a difference
between an individual destroying their own career and the news doing it.
Obscene Publications Act
The obscene publication act is an act of the UK parliament. The act governs what can and can’t be published in the UK. The law states
what is and isn’t inappropriate through all streams of media; this includes online gambling, pornography and advertisements for particular
products such as cigarettes.
Broadcasting Act
The broadcasting act is a law of the British parliament. The act states that the radio and TV companies are in charge of what is
broadcasted on their channel rather than the regulators. This is how independent companies came about. The labour party were aginst
the law as they believed the country would be Americanised.