At the heart of any discussion about plurality and media ownership lies the concept of power: for democracy to function properly, the exercise of power over public opinion, law-makers, opinion-formers and elite decision-makers must be properly distributed and not become concentrated in a small group of individuals or organisations. Continue reading
The International Forum for Responsible Media Blog
Month: December 2013 (Page 4 of 5)
This was Week 6 of the phone hacking trial of Rebekah Brooks, Andy Coulson and six others at the Old Bailey. The jury only heard evidence for one day Thursday 5 December (see #pressform collection of links, Day 25). The Court heard evidence relating to the misconduct in public office counts. Continue reading
Tomorrow will see the formal launch of the IMPRESS Project – a new kind of free speech organisation which aims to promote press freedom and ethical journalism. The project is developing plans for press regulation which is independent of politicians and press owners, affordable for small publishers and websites and accountable to the public. Continue reading
We have, from time to time, drawn the attention of our readers to Gary Hayes’ remarkable “Social Media Counter” – which provides daily, weekly, monthly and yearly figures for activities on Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, Instagram and other social media. Continue reading
The first month of the phone hacking trial at the Old Bailey in Central London has heard an extraordinary account of alleged malpractice, duplicity and illegality at the heart of Rupert Murdoch’s biggest selling newspaper, the now defunct News of the World tabloid. The prosecution case against Rebekah Brooks, Andy Coulson and six others, all of whom deny the charges, resumes on Thursday. Here is everything we have learnt so far. Continue reading
In its judgment of 28 November 2013 in the case of Österreichische Vereinigung zur Erhaltung, Stärkung und Schaffung eines wirtschaftlich gesunden land- und forstwirtschaftlichen Grundbesitzes v. Austria (OVESSG) the European Court of Human Rights has further clarified and expanded the scope of application of Article 10 of the Convention with regard to the right of access to public documents. The judgment is especially supportive for requests by journalists and NGOs to have access to official documents. Continue reading
As the prosecution continues to present its evidence at the Old Bailey in the case alleging phone hacking and the bribing of public officials, it is becoming increasingly clear that not only is British justice on trial but also journalism itself. Continue reading
Day 25: Detectives are carrying out a live investigation into whether a senior Army officer leaked a photograph of Prince William in a bikini to the Sun, the phone hacking trial heard today. An email from a Sun journalist discussing a payment of £4,000 for the image, taken at a fancy dress party while the prince was undergoing his military training, referred to it coming from “William’s direct platoon commander.” Continue reading
This week, the chairman of the home affairs select committee, Keith Vaz, asked the editor of the Guardian newspaper, Alan Rusbridger, whether he loves this country. This question was significant not just because of the immediate context in which it was posed (the Guardian’s revelations of mass surveillance by security services). It was significant because it revealed just how deeply the discourse of the right-wing media can seep into the consciousness of politicians. Continue reading
In the case of J19 and J20 v Facebook Ireland ([2013] NIQB 113) the High Court in Northern Ireland chose to depart from the “robust” Strasbourg approach to service providers and their liability for comments hosted on their sites. Such liability, said the judge, was not consonant with the EC Directive on E-Commerce. Continue reading
Recent Judgments
© 2026 Inforrm's Blog
Theme by Anders Norén — Up ↑