Leveson 2: Dave's Red Face Day

[Nick Armstrong]

It appears that the Royal Charter will even cover the internet, in a way that Newsnight was unable to pin down last night during an interview with the appalling Shant Grapps - an area specifically excluded by Leveson. It could even extend to this forum - there's nothing to say it couldn't.
...

The "exemplary damages" bit for those publications who do not sign up is particularly troubling - the idea of Private Eye doing so, for example, seems counter-intuitive.

I think that your fear highlighted above is not warranted - my understanding is that to be a 'relevant publisher' for the purposes of the new régime, the "publisher would have to meet the three tests of whether the publication is publishing news-related material in the course of a business, whether their material is written by a range of authors – this would exclude a one-man band or a single blogger – and whether that material is subject to editorial control". I don't think this Forum could be caught.

However I'm sure this odd late-night cobble-job does present a lot of uncertainties, and it is also true that the 'exemplary damages' provision may be flawed under Human Rights (i.e. freedom of expression) law - the latter being likewise a criticism of Leveson LJ's recommendations on the subject.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

an interesting and considered view from the North!

i am increasingly cynical about all this, especially the grandiose claims to 'freedom of speech' being made by the hacks

we do not have a free press, that would be truly radical! what we have is a maket in gossip, scandal, lifestyle choices and occasionally real info ... the market needs regulating rather more and bnetter than heretofore .... as many have pointed out in Leveson and elsewhere the size of the market is shrinking .... people do not want to pay fro journalism [or music] we face an Internet coup soon to start recovering the value of IP if only for the sake of the musicians

the hacks are moaning too loud, they have been truly evil and malicious ... i do not care a whit if the current press regime from NI vis Scott Trust to the Evening Echo is hampered by the new system ... they are agents of influence or just dim a goodbye would be welcome ... meanwhile the new digital journalism will have to find a way to get paid ....

[Richard Tarleton]

However I'm sure this odd late-night cobble-job does present a lot of uncertainties

It appears on closer inspection that Dave's team (Letwin with civil servants but without political advisers) walked into Miliband's office to find Hacked Off x 4 (Evan Harris, a QC and 2 more) already there. Nobody from the newspapers. This would have been the moment to walk straight out again, it was an ambush.

All the evil and malicious stuff that calum mentions is already illegal, and people are already being prosecuted and jailed, and we already have the most punitive libel laws in the civilised world.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

All the evil and malicious stuff that calum mentions is already illegal, and people are already being prosecuted and jailed, and we already have the most punitive libel laws in the civilised world.

none of which seemed effective against NI Rothermere Express etc etc .... all despicable at one time or another this century ...

i would lift fingers to have Dacre's freedom to punish restricted severely; and preferably have the mad dog sectioned; his spitting animosity was a spectacle from Bedlam during his Leveson Testimony ... i truly shudder to think what he is like in full flight vagina monologue in the office where he is the law of the land ....

freedom of speech is a fig leaf for something foul .... try reading The Rights of Man out loud in Parliament Square, we do not have it ..... we have bad libel laws and ineffective pursuit of the law by the plod .... and i agree with you the airing these all received in the press made a real difference, more of that please so that 80% of the press is that way inclined ... then i might believe in it

but not while it is 95% grubby and vile, peddling dirt, scandal and neo liberal dogma ... a pox on it sir a pox!

[Mr Pee]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/leveson-inquiry/9938693/David-Camerons-Leveson-deal-is-threat-to-press-freedom-says-human-rights-watchdog.html

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

not views i would endorse, especially from such an old timer like Jenkins who a] worked for Murdoch without a twinge of anything and b] is, as all conservatives, serenely untroubled by traditional difficulties ...

here

[Richard Tarleton]

The glaring injustice in this charter is that publications which choose to stay outside it, are taken to court and win will still have to pay their own legal costs. This is blatantly unjust, and would be a charter for well-heeled litigants to drive the likes of Private Eye out of existence with vexatious litigation. Questioned on the Media Show, that left-wing QC Helena Kennedy (who is

as all Socialists serenely untroubled by traditional difficulties ...

agreed it was unfortunate but probably for the "greater good" (presumably, state control of the press), a quite extraordinary thing for a lawyer to say.