Category Archives: journalism

New paper: Leveson online – A publicly reported inquiry

My paper on public access to the Leveson Inquiry has been published in the new issue of Ethical Space, The International Journal of Communication Ethics. Abstract: The Leveson Inquiry has broken new ground for court and political reporting: for the first … Continue reading

Posted in academic research, access to justice, blogging, courts, data, digital open justice, freedom of expression, human rights, journalism, leveson inquiry, media ethics, press freedom | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Rudyard Kipling and the media: ‘Tell it to the public press / And we will do the rest’

A recently discovered poem by Rudyard Kipling, written in 1899, fits the current Leveson/press regulation theme quite neatly – it voices the poet’s frustrations with media questions, opening “Why don’t you write a play – / Why don’t you cut your hair?“. … Continue reading

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Legal resources for community journalists and bloggers

A resource list for community journalists and bloggers, from my presentation at Cardiff University’s Community Journalism Conference on 16 January 2013. Additionally, I will keep the survey about legal resources and experiences for attendees and followers of the conference open … Continue reading

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Leveson and access to justice

Will Leveson’s ‘Arbitration Service’ improve access to justice in civil legal disputes? In Volume IV of his report, Lord Justice Leveson has recommended a new arbitration service for civil legal claims as part of a new system of independent self-regulation … Continue reading

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The BBC and ‘tragedies of the fourth estate’

There’s an excellent piece by Paul Lashmar, investigative journalist and lecturer at Brunel University, on openDemocracy this week, examining the role of – and implications for – investigative journalism in the recent ‘BBC debacle’. I was particularly interested in the … Continue reading

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Mark Thompson, the legal letter, and the Savile investigation

Stewart Purvis, professor of television journalism at City University London (formerly of ITN and Ofcom) has been carefully tracking the detail around ex-BBC director-general Mark Thompson’s legal interaction with the Sunday Times, following the newspaper’s questions about the BBC’s handling … Continue reading

Posted in blogging, broadcasting, defamation, journalism, media ethics, media law, newspapers | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Law and Media Round Up – 8 October 2012

Originally posted on Inforrm's Blog:
We are now a week into the new legal term, and while it’s still party conference season for MPs, the Defamation Bill will receive its second reading in the House of Lords on Monday…

Posted in defamation, journalism, leveson inquiry, media ethics, media law, media law mop-up, media law resources, phone hacking | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Gideon Benaim: Payments for private information and the regulation of journalism

Gideon Benaim, partner at Michael Simkins LLP (formerly of Schillings), has responded to my question about the potential regulation of payments for private information, in a blog post for Inforrm. He argues that “unless there is a legitimate public interest … Continue reading

Posted in blogging, digital open justice, journalism, media ethics, media law, media regulation, newspapers, press freedom, privacy, public interest | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

How should privacy injunctions be reported?

The recommended procedure and law around privacy injunctions “isn’t quite fit for purpose” according to Gideon Benaim, a partner at Michael Simkins LLP (formerly of Schillings), writing in the Guardian today. Comments seem to be closed on the piece so … Continue reading

Posted in comment, freedom of expression, human rights, journalism, leveson inquiry, media ethics, media law, press freedom, privacy, public interest, super injunctions | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Damian Carney: Media Accountability after the Phone Hacking Inquiry

Dr Damian Carney proposes the setting up of a new regulatory body for the press providing strong remedies for complainants, better internal controls on ethics and complaints – and enough independence from government and industry to appease the general public … Continue reading

Posted in academic research, comment, defamation, guest post, journalism, leveson inquiry, media ethics, media law, phone hacking | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment