This is a Media Law Update covering the past month prepared by the Legal Information Team at Matrix Chambers, which they have kindly agreed to make available to readers of Inforrm.
Latest Cases
Sanoma Uitgevers BV v the Netherlands (App No. 38224/03) ECtHR (Grand Chamber) – 14 Sept 2010. Seizure of journalists’ confidential material illegal – violation of ECHR, art 10. See here for press release and here for Inforrm blog case comment.
Dink v Turkey (App Nos. 2668/07, 6102/08, 30079/08, 7072/09 and 7124/09), ECtHR – 14 Sept 2010. The authorities failed in their duty to protect the life and freedom of expression of the journalist Firat (Hrant) Dink – violation of ECHR, arts 2, 10 and 13. See here for press release.
Latest Regulatory Decisions
Latest decisions of the Scottish Information Commissioner
Latest Decision Notices from the Information Commissioner’s Office
Latest decisions of the First-tier Tribunal, General Regulatory Chamber [Information Rights]
- John Greenwood v IC EA/2010/0007. FOI Act 2000, s 40 (personal data).
- Brian Thomas Fairclough v IC EA/2010/0149. Tribunal Procedure (First-tier Tribunal) (General Regulatory Chamber) Rules 2009.
- Cabinet Office v IC EA/2010/0031. FOI Act 2000, s 35 (ministerial communications).
- Mr Graham Plumbe v IC EA/2009/0117. EIR 2004, r 12(5)(b) (legal professional privilege).
- Royal Mail Group Ltd v IC EA/2010/0091. Tribunal Procedure (First-tier Tribunal) (General Regulatory Chamber) Rules 2009.
Recent Developments
Michael Moore campaigns to free Bradley Manning in war logs case. Chris McGreal in Washington. The Guardian – 15 Sep 2010. Reports that the Vietnam war whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg and the film-maker Michael Moore have launched an international campaign to demand the release of Bradley Manning, the American soldier charged with passing classified material to WikiLeaks.
Mr Justice Eady replaced as senior libel judge. James Robinson, The Guardian – 15 Sep 2010. The Lord Chief Justice has announced that Mr Justice Tugendhat will replace Eady as the judge in charge of the Queen’s bench jury and non-jury lists, which hear the majority of defamation and privacy cases. Mr Justice Eady’s term of office ends on 30 Sep 2010.
Plans to extend freedom of information, Ministry of Justice. Press Release – 7 Sep 2010. Notes that the Government wants to extend the scope of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to increase transparency. Speaking in an interview on the BBC’s ‘You and Yours’ radio programme, Minister of State for Justice Lord McNally said: “The Government is committed to increasing transparency, including extending the scope of the Freedom of Information Act. We are carefully considering the different ways of achieving this aim, including looking at the extension of the Act to additional bodies”.
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