Skip to content
Curtin University
Humanities

Staff Profiles

[Log in to edit profiles]

A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z 

Dr Joseph M Fernandez

Image of Staff Member
    • Role:
    • Head of Department
    • Department:
    • Department of Journalism
    • Location:
    • Building 208 424/4
    • Telephone:
    • +61 8 9266 2976

Joseph Fernandez has lectured in the print journalism area at Curtin since 1999. He has served in other capacities including as Head of the Mass Communication program at Limkokwing University in Kuala Lumpur, International Coordinator at Curtin's Department of Media and Information, and as Head of the Mass Communication program at Curtin.  His primary teaching focus currently is in Media Law, which is taught at Undergraduate, Graduate Diploma and Masters levels. Dr Fernandez has a BA (English), Bachelor of Laws, Master of Laws and a PhD (Law).

Dr Fernandez received a Curtin University award for Excellence and Innovation in teaching and a Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning in 2006.  He was also a Curtin nominee for the national Carrick Australian Awards for University Teaching in 2006 and 2009.  Prior to joining Curtin in 1999, Dr Fernandez was the chief editor of a Malaysian daily newspaper for 14 years, and a recipient of Malaysian journalism and community service awards.  His areas of interest include media law, media ethics, and Asian media.  He has served on the National Ethics Panel of the Media, Entertaining and Arts Alliance, and has published academic articles and presented conference papers on freedom of speech, media regulation and other media law subjects in Australia and Malaysia.  He has also served as a judge in the Australian Journalist' Association (WA Branch) Media Awards.  In 2007 Dr Fernandez received the WA MEAA's Clarion Award for his contribution to the media, in particular, for his efforts in promoting freedom of speech and for producing a practical guide to the law of publication – the Media Law Handbook. Dr Fernandez is an active participant and spokesperson on media law issues. He has written various law reform submissions on subjects concerning media practice, he has appeared before a Senate Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs, and was a delegate to the Australia 2020 Summit (Future of Australian Governance Stream) in 2008.

 

Research Interests

  • Member of Media Asia Research Group (October 2004 to current).
  • Referee for Academic Articles.
  • Media Law – Journalism, Defamation, Secrecy, Confidentiality, Shield Laws, Freedom of Information, Privacy, Contempt of Court, Copyright, Media Regulation, Media Ethics.
  • Media Law reform.

Teaching - Undergraduate

Media Law

Teaching - Postgraduate

• Media Law

• Post-Graduate Supervision.

Memberships

• Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance.

• Asian Media Information and Communication Centre.

Awards

• Excellence and Innovation in Teaching, Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning, Curtin 2006.

• Nominee, Carrick Australian Awards for University Teaching, 2006.

• Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (Western Australia) Clarion Award, 2007.

• Nominee, Australian Learning and Teaching Council, Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning, 2009.

Publications

Book Chapters (Authored, Research Quality)

  • Fernandez, J, and Sadler, P. 2010. A Shield Law for Journalists in Australia. In Contemporary Issues in Law and Policy, eds Pauline Sadler, 123-158. Perth, WA: Applied Law & Policy, Curtin University.
  • Fernandez, J. 2007. Malaysia's Printing Presses and Publications Act: Time to Discard a Draconian Relic of a Bygone Era. In The Cartoon Debate and the Freedom of the Press: Conflicting Norms and Values in the Global Media Culture, eds Bernard Debatin, 57-65. Berlin, Germany: Lit Verlag.

Refereed Articles (Scholarly Journals)

  • Fernandez, J. 2010. Truth in Journalism: oxymoron or Lofty Ideal. The University of Notre Dame Australia Law Review 12: 171-208.
  • Fernandez, J. 2009. An Exploration of the Meaning of Truth in Philosophy and Law. The University of Notre Dame Australia Law Review 11: 53-83.
  • Fernandez, J. 2006. Free Speech and Journalism: Australia Joins The Race To Tighten Up. The Journal of the Malaysian Bar 35(1): 15-43.
  • Fernandez, J. 2005. WA Newspaper's contempt finding. Brief 32: 5-9.
  • Guthrie, R, and Fernandez, J. 2004. Law schools in the 21st century. Alternative Law Journal 29: 276-279.

Fully written papers (Refereed Conference proceedings)

  • Oliver, B, Fernandez, J, Harrison, J, Bethell, P, and Breit, R. 2011. Benchmarking Journalism Courses with a Focus on Graduate Employability; Case Studies from Three Australian Universities. Australian Quality Forum, 29/06/2011. Melbourne, Victoria: Australian Universities Quality Agency.
  • Fernandez, J. 2010. Loosening the Shackles of the Truth Defence on Freedom of Speech: Making Defamation Law’s Truth Defence More User Friendly for Media Defendants. Journalism Education in an Age of Radical Change, 05/07/2010. Grahamstown, South Africa: Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung.
  • Fernandez, J. 2009. A public interest in the proper evaluation of the public interest: Re-examining the public interest imperative in determining newsworthiness. Journalism Educators’ Association Conference, 01/11/2009. Perth, WA: ECU.
  • Fernandez, J. 2006. Harnessing scoring rubrics and fieldwork in the teaching of1 Media Law to non-Law students. Evaluations and Assessment Conference 2006, 30/11/2006. Curtin University of Technology: Learning Support Network.