[00:01:00]2007
[00:02.38]The study of law has been recognized
[00:04.30]for centuries as a basic intellectual discipline in European universities.
[00:09.17]However, only in recent years has it become a feature of undergraduate programs
[00:14.12]in Canadian universities.
[00:16.90](46) Traditionally legal learning has been viewed in such institutions
[00:20.34]the special preserve of lawyers,
[00:24.09]rather than a necessary part of the intellectual equipment of an educated person.
[00:29.32]Happily, the older and more continental view of legal education
[00:33.90]is establishing itself in a number of Canadian universities some
[00:38.36]have even begun to offer undergraduate degrees in law. ?
[00:42.00]If the study of law is beginning to establish as part and parcel of a general education,
[00:48.46]its aims and methods should appeal directly to journalism educators.
[00:53.97]Law is a discipline encourages responsible judgment.
[00:57.99]On the one hand,
[00:59.54]it provides opportunities to analyze such ideas as justice, democracy and freedom.
[01:05.09](47) On the other,
[01:06.26] it links these concepts to everyday realities in a manner
[01:09.97]which is parallel to the links journalists forge on a daily basis
[01:14.18]as they cover and comment on the news.
[01:17.02]For example, notions of evidence and fact,
[01:20.52]of basic rights and public interest are at work
[01:24.28]in the process of journalistic judgment
[01:27.17]and production just as in courts of law.
[01:30.13]Sharpening judgment by absorbing
[01:32.59]and reflection on law is a desirable component
[01:36.19]of a journalist’s intellectual preparation for his or her career.?
[01:40.43](48)But the idea that the journalist must understand the law more profoundly
[01:44.46]than an ordinary citizen rests on an understanding of the established conventions
[01:51.08]and special responsibilities of the news media.
[01:54.31]Politics or, more broadly, the functioning of the state,
[01:58.27]is a major subject for journalists.
[02:01.12]The better informed they are about the way the state works,
[02:04.14]the better their reporting will be.
[02:07.17](49)In fact, it is difficult to see how journalists who do not have a clear grasp
[02:12.49]of the basic features of the Canadian Constitution can do a competent job
[02:18.69]on political stories.?
[02:19.97]Furthermore, the legal system and the events which occur within it are
[02:24.69]primary subjects for journalists.
[02:27.21]While the quality of legal journalism varies greatly,
[02:30.36]there is an undue reliance amongst many journalists
[02:34.20]on interpretations supplied to them by lawyers.
[02:37.86](50)While comment and reaction from lawyers may enhance stories,
[02:41.84]it is preferable for journalists to rely
[02:45.35]on their own notions of significance and make their own judgments.
[02:49.46]These can only come from a well-grounded understanding of the legal system.?
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