Independent MP, Andrew Bridgen, has said he will sue the former Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, for £100,000 in defamation over a tweet in which Hancock accused him of spreading “antisemitic, anti-vax, anti-scientific conspiracy theories.” Bridgen lost the Tory whip after his remarks and was widely criticised by members of all political parties. Bridgen’s case is supported by the Bad Law Project and the Reclaim Party. The Guardian, the Evening Standard and the Independent covered the threatened action. Continue reading
The International Forum for Responsible Media Blog
Category: Legal (Page 1 of 152)
Journalists have been given access to report on family proceedings for the first time in a pilot project designed to improve transparency and accountability. Accredited journalists and legal bloggers will be allowed to report certain cases, including court and placement applications, starting from 30 January 2023 in Leeds, Carlisle and Cardiff. The Law Society Gazette covers the scheme. Continue reading
Human Rights Watch has warned that the UK is about to be labelled a human rights abuser if it continues to clamp down on protest rights and work towards the replacement of the Human Rights Act with the Bill of Rights. Continue reading
Welcome back and a very happy new year to all Inforrm readers. The Hilary Legal Term begins on Wednesday 11 January 2023 and ends on Wednesday 13 April 2023 . Continue reading
From what feels like time immemorial the UK government has paraded its proposed online harms legislation under the banner of ‘What is Illegal Offline is Illegal Online’. As a description of what is now the Online Safety Bill, the slogan is ill-fitting. The Bill contains nothing that extends to online behaviour a criminal offence that was previously limited to offline. Continue reading
The Michaelmas Legal Term ends on Wednesday 21 December 2022. The Hilary Legal Term will begin on Wednesday 11 January 2023. Inforrm will be taking a winter break. Regular posting will resume with a Law and Media Round Up on Monday 9 January 2023.
On 16 October 2017, Daphne Galizia, Malta’s top investigative journalist, was assassinated when a car bomb planted under her seat exploded. Her work focused on corruption and organised crime, and she was facing more than 40 civil defamation lawsuits and five criminal defamation cases at the time of her death. Most of these were brought by Maltese government officials and businessmen. Continue reading
On 6 December 2022, in the preliminary hearing for the Duke of Sussex’s libel claim against The Mail on Sunday publisher Associated Newspapers Ltd (ANL), the High Court was told that the claim will be temporarily paused to see if a settlement can be reached. Continue reading
Over 70 newspaper editors, publishers and media lawyers have written to Justice Secretary, Dominic Raab, expressing support for the model ‘anti-SLAPP’ law proposed by the UK Anti-SLAPP coalition. Continue reading
The review conducted by Cambridgeshire Constabulary has found that the arrest of four journalists covering Just Stop Oil protests by Hertfordshire Police earlier this month may have constituted “unlawful interference” in their freedom of expression. Continue reading
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