Certificate course
European Media Rights, Law and Professional Practice
A practical orientation to the European legal and professional environment: expression and press freedom, data protection, copyright, defamation, source protection, access, accreditation and cross-border practice.
This certificate is one of six that support Media Card applications. The Media Card is administered by EurAV European Audio Visual CLG, not by EANE.
See all six courses in this collection ≈ 77 minutes total11 credits to earn the certificate
Learning outcomes
Upon successful completion, learners will be able to:
- ▸Distinguish EU law, Council of Europe frameworks, national law and voluntary codes
- ▸Identify the legal questions raised by a piece of media work
- ▸Apply practical data protection, copyright and reputation safeguards
- ▸Recognise when specialist legal advice is necessary
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Compulsory modules · all 11 required
Mapping the system: EU law, Council of Europe, national law and codes
Media work in Europe is governed by several overlapping systems, not one. Learn to tell EU law, the Council of Europe, national law, regulators and codes apart.
Freedom of expression under ECHR Article 10 — and its limits
How Article 10 of the European Convention protects expression, when states may restrict it, and the questions to ask when a report is called unlawful.
The EU Charter and the European Media Freedom Act
How the EU Charter and the European Media Freedom Act protect media freedom and pluralism in outline, and what that means when a public authority applies pressure.
Data protection: GDPR principles that matter to media work
How GDPR principles apply to journalism and creative work: lawful basis, national exemptions, retention, sensitive data, subject requests and security.
Privacy, image rights and consent in law
How European law treats privacy, image rights and consent, and why advertising use of a photograph is legally different from editorial use.
Copyright, licensing and permissions
How to use other people's material lawfully, clear music, images and archive, apply quotation rules across borders, and protect your own work as a freelancer.
Defamation and reputation: the practical risks
How defamation risk arises in practice, including through implication, how it varies across Europe, and which checks and corrections reduce it.
Protection of journalistic sources
How European law protects journalistic sources, where that protection stops, and what you can honestly promise a source who needs anonymity.
Access to information and public-interest requests
How to use access-to-documents and access-to-information rights across Europe: framing requests, handling exemptions and refusals, and turning records into reliable stories.
Accreditation, access and conduct at events
A press card proves who you are; it does not open doors. Learn how accreditation works, why access is conditional, and how conduct protects it.
Working across borders, and knowing when to take advice
How to plan work that crosses borders: which laws may apply, how online publication creates exposure, working safely with fixers, and when to call a lawyer.