The most high profile media law story of the week concerned the discontinuance of Sir Philip Green’s breach of confidence action against the Daily Telegraph. In a judgment handed down on Friday 8 February 2019 ([2019] EWHC 223 (QB)) Warby J granted the claimants permission to discontinue and refused to impose any conditions on them. It was reported that the claimants faced a £3m legal bill. Continue reading
The International Forum for Responsible Media Blog
Month: February 2019 (Page 3 of 4)
Last month saw in the tenth anniversary of the “Extreme” Pornography Possession Offence coming into force. This means that English and Welsh citizens could find themselves liable to a three-year spell in jail, and registered as a sex offender, for watching adult pornography in the privacy of their homes. Continue reading
Tightly knit ethnic communities and social media often combine to create a toxic brew of defamatory allegations. Special considerations apply to the assessment of damages in libel actions in Canada where the language in the publication was not English or French. Continue reading
In the case of R (P, G and W) and Anor v Secretary of State for the Home Department and Anor [2019] UKSC 3 the Supreme Court upheld challenges to the legal regimes for disclosing criminal records in England and Wales, and Northern Ireland, finding them to be incompatible with Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (“ECHR”). Continue reading
The case of Richard Burgon MP v. News Group Newspapers Limited and Thomas Newton Dunn ([2019] EWHC 195 (QB)) was a libel claim relating to an online article published by The Sun, which made allegations that the MP for Leeds East and Shadow Justice Secretary had joined a band that delighted in Nazi symbols. It was common ground at trial that the Defendants did not believe that Mr Burgon was a Nazi nor were there any grounds to believe as such. Continue reading
It seems like internet trolling happens everywhere online these days – and it’s showing no signs of slowing down. This week, the British press and Kensington Palace officials have called for an end to the merciless online trolling of Duchesses Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle, which reportedly includes racist and sexist content, and even threats. Continue reading
Evidence against executives and editors is piling up in the civil courts, but newspapers are just buying their way out of trouble. The right place for this is the criminal courts, which means the Metropolitan Police must act. Continue reading
The News Group Newspapers phone hacking claims brought by Sir Elton John, David Furnish, Elizabeth Hurley and Heather and Fiona Mills settled last week. The trial had been due to begin on 4 February 2019 before Mr Justice Mann. Continue reading
France made headlines on 21 January 2019 for fining Google US$57 million – the first large fine to be issued for violations of the European Union’s newly implemented General Data Protection Regulations. GDPR, as it’s called, is meant to ensure consumers’ personal information is appropriately used and protected by companies. It also creates procedures to sanction companies who misuse information. Continue reading
Can Dame Frances Cairncross find a way of subsidising journalism without giving ministers the power to syphon money to their corrupt press chums – and without enabling Big Tech to buy itself freedom from scrutiny?
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