Recently in Media Law Category

The Conservative peer and executive director of the Telegraph Media Group Lord Black has spoken out against Parliament's proposals for greater regulation of the press, saying that some parts would breach EU human rights law, reports The Daily Telegraph.

The Government recently announced that the press would in future be regulated by a new body, created by Royal Charter, with a statutory provision ensuring that changes to the Charter could only be made by a two-thirds majority in both the Commons and the Lords.

The proposals go further, however, requiring press organisations and publishers to sign up to the regulator, or face 'exemplary damages', something that Lord Black described as "wrong in principle and fundamentally flawed".

The Government yesterday announced a landmark agreement between all three major political parties on the future regulation of the press, with the creation of a Royal Charter, a new regulator and a statutory provision to prevent the Charter being tampered with, reports Reuters and the BBC.

For a while an agreement looked in doubt, but eventually and surprisingly the three main political parties yesterday announced a landmark deal paving the way for new press regulation in the wake of the recommendations of the Leveson Inquiry into press ethics.

The deal was immediately met with derision from journalists and some elements of the Conservative Party, who feel that their leadership backed down after announcing that talks would not continue and the matter would be put to a vote on Monday afternoon.

The Metropolitan Police have contacted their Australian counterparts in the wake of the tragic death of nurse Jacintha Saldanha, who was found dead last Friday following her involvement in a hoax telephone call.

Australian DJs Mel Greig and Michael Christian of 2Day FM had rung the King Edward VII hospital late one night last week pretending to be the Duke of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall.

Ms Saldanha had answered the call and, taken in by the hoax, revealed details of the condition of the Duchess of Cambridge, who had been taken ill suffering from acute morning sickness.

A leading legal advisor to the Leveson Inquiry into press ethics has warned the Government that implementing a crucial proposal of the Inquiry's report would breach human rights law.

The Leveson Inquiry report was finally published last week and included amongst its many recommendations a proposal to toughen up any independent press regulator, by ensuring that statutory law provided for its existence.

The proposal is controversial, for although it stops short of government regulation of the press, it would force the press to form a strong regulator and in doing so its critics say would open the press up to potential political influence in future.

The long-awaited report from the Leveson Inquiry into press ethics was published yesterday, making calls for new laws to support the formation of a tough new watchdog.

The recommendations fall short of new statutory control of the press, instead calling for legislation to be used to create a new, independent press watchdog.

In a televised statement following the publication of the report, Lord Justice Leveson said: "The press has wreaked havoc in the lives of innocent people for many decades."

Teachers yesterday became the first group of people in Britain to be protected by a new law, which affords them anonymity if they are accused of a criminal offence until they are formally charged.

The new law, included in the Education Act 2011, protects teachers from accusations made by pupils or on behalf of pupils at the school at which they teach.

The provision is included in section 13 of the Act, which states that "no matter relating to the person is to be included in any publication if it is likely to lead members of the public to identify the person as the teacher".

Hugh Grant has called for European legislators to tackle the issue of media power, continuing his crusade for better regulation of the press.

Mr Grant has played an instrumental role in bringing the media to account for their, at times, shameful practices. He was responsible for secretly taping a former News of the World journalist who revealed crucial information on the extent of the hacking scandal.

However, despite the ongoing and far-reaching Leveson Inquiry into media ethics Mr Grant doubts whether changes can ever be made unless individuals such as Rupert Murdoch face legal limitations on the amount of the media they can control.

Senior Tories Michael Gove and Theresa May have this week stood at the Leveson Inquiry into press ethics to state on the record that they stand against intervention in the running of the press with new legislation.

Lord Justice Leveson has already hinted that new laws will form the basis of future press regulation after he presents his report to Parliament later this year.

The Leveson Inquiry was convened in the wake of the News of the World 'phone-hacking' scandal and subsequent revelations that police and politicians may have been unduly influenced by the media.

The BBC, BskyB and a range of other media organisations yesterday won a High Court case against a series of police orders demanding that footage from the evictions at Dale Farm be handed over as possible evidence.

The travellers based at Dale Farm in Essex were evicted amid violent scenes last October.

At the time several news organisations had set up to film, including Independent Television News, Channel 5 and others. All the outlets joined forces to oppose the police disclosure orders.

Journalists at the Guardian News and Media (GNM) group are being asked to attend media law refresher courses, after one of their reporters was referred to the Attorney General.

The reporter had put the name of a juror in the Harry Redknapp trial on social networking site, Twitter.

Such an action could have placed the entire trial in jeopardy, at significant cost to the taxpayer.

QPR midfield captain and serial 'tweeter' Joey Barton looks set to avoid prosecution for contempt of court, despite making comments on the case of footballer John Terry which could have landed him in trouble.

Barton, well known for his outbursts on social networking site, Twitter, made his opinions on the John Terry case known on Friday evening.

The Terry case has received additional media focus in the past week following the FA's decision to rescind the captaincy from the Chelsea centre-back, pending the outcome of his forthcoming trial.

The man chairing the current enquiry into the culture, practices and ethics of the press has spoken out to indicate that online social networks should be treated differently to other news outlets under any new press regulatory regime.

Lord Justice Leveson said yesterday that he believed that there was a difference between an online version of a newspaper or magazine, and a social-media website which hosts conversations between individuals.

The Leveson Enquiry has heard evidence from across a broad spectrum of the media as well as victims of phone hacking conducted by the News of the World, such as the parents of murdered schoolgirl Millie Dowler, and celebrities including Hugh Grant and comedian Steve Coogan.

A teenage photojournalist has claimed victory after being wrongfully ordered to stop taking pictures of a military parade by Metropolitan Police officers.

The incident, which took place in June 2010, was recorded by the young photographer and it was this evidence which proved decisive in forcing an apology and a payment of compensation from the police authorities.

Jules Mattsson, who was 15 at the time of the incident, was taking pictures of an Armed Forces Day parade in Romford, Essex on 26^th June 2010. He was approached by a group of police officers who ordered him to stop taking pictures as it constituted "anti-social behaviour" and was a "public hazard".