This course deals with the laws which seek to strike a balance between protection of reputation and privacy, on the one hand, and freedom of speech for the media, on the other. Topics include: relevant aspects of constitutional protection of freedom of speech in Australia; the law of defamation (the concept of reputation; what the plaintiff must prove; the available defences; remedies; procedural aspects); other causes of action protecting reputation; criminal libel; legal protection of privacy. Attention is paid to the operation of the relevant laws in practice, to the impact of new technologies of communication and to theoretical, historical, comparative and policy aspects of the various topics.