18 Mar 2013 | Leveson Inquiry
Responding to the party leaders’ comments in parliament today, Index on Censorship CEO Kirsty Hughes said:
“In spite of David Cameron’s claims, there can be no doubt that what has been established is statutory underpinning of the press regulator. This introduces a layer of political control that is extremely undesirable. On this sad day, Britain has abandoned a democratic principle.
“But beyond that, the Royal Charter’s loose definition of a ‘relevant publisher’ as a ‘website containing news-related material’ means blogs could be regulated under this new law as well. This will undoubtedly have a chilling effect on everyday people’s web use.
“Bloggers could find themselves subject to exemplary damages in court, due to the fact that they were not part of a regulator that was not intended for them in the first place. This mess of legislation has been thrown together with alarming haste: there’s little doubt we’ll repent for a while to come.”
Also read: Statement from Index Chair Jonathan Dimbleby on behalf of Index’s board of trustees
18 Mar 2013 | Leveson Inquiry, Media Freedom
Index on Censorship Chair Jonathan Dimbleby has issued the following statement on behalf of Index’s trustees:
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18 Mar 2013 | Uncategorized
Dear Friends
There has been some important news today. An agreement has been struck to remove the ‘Leveson’ amendment to the Defamation Bill. This is welcomed news. All of your letters to MPs and the Prime Minister have made it clear why the Defamation Bill matters, and why it must not be caught up in the debate about press regulation. Thank you so much for taking up the cause so actively.
We are still waiting for confirmation that the Defamation Bill will be back before Parliament in the next couple of weeks, so if you haven’t written to your MP or the Prime Minister already, could we urge you to do that now?. We also have much to do to make sure that all MPs (and especially those who joined Parliament in 2010) know about the injustices that gave rise to the Bill. We are meeting with as many as we can to talk about ending libel tourism, the hurdle of “serious harm” to prevent vexatious cases, restrictions on corporations suing individuals and a new public interest defence.
As soon as we have further information about a timetable for the Defamation Bill returning to the House of Commons we will let you know.
Best wishes,
Síle and Mike
17 Mar 2013 | Leveson Inquiry, Media Freedom
Basic principles are at stake as confusion reigns ahead of Monday’s vote, says Index chief executive Kirsty Hughes
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