Written by WHEN popular national newspapers reported clearly contemptuous background on Christopher Jefferies after he was arrested on suspicion of murdering Joanna Yeats in Bristol, UK, I had the job of explaining the transgression to perplexed journalism students.
Every local and regional newspaper journalist I know shook their head at the coverage; if they had flouted the law in that way they would have been out of a job.
Jefferies was completely cleared of any wrongdoing and he successfully sued newspapers for libel.
The Sun and the Daily Mirror were fined for contempt.
I’m sorry but I don’t understand how even more statutory regulation (if that’s what Lord Leveson advises) would have improved that outcome.
Academic?? God help us if this is what now passes for academic. Firstly, What Leveson proposes in not “more statutory regulation”. There is currently no statutory regulation of the press, so how could it constitute “more”? Leveson does not propose statutory regulation, but self regulation backed by statute. If you can’t see the difference …………
Secondly, most of us have no access to civil law, due to cost. So, we cannot sue for libel and therefore have no means of complaint except to the PPC which is set up and run by whom for the benefit of whom? By the press for the press1 If you can get an apology it will not not match the original abuse in terms of prominence or vigor.
So, if it had been me in the case mentioned, the outcome would have been improved as I would have had access to complaint. For Jefferies the outcome may well not have been improved, but the process would have been. He would not have had to go to law.
You said: “There is currently no statutory regulation of the press”
I say: The UK press is more restricted than anywhere else in the developed world: it is why UK is the planet’s libel capital.
You say: “Most of us have no access to civil law, due to cost.”
I say: No win, no fee deals mean you do..although that situation may change if Parliament gets it wrong.
You say Jefferies might “not have had to go to law”. The fact is, he did…and got a result. It is unarguable that press coverage of his arrest was dreadful; however he successfully sued for libel and, belatedly, the newspapers involved were fined for contempt.