British inquiry calls for law to underpin press body

[muriel_volestrangler]

Source: Reuters

A far-reaching inquiry into British newspapers called for a new independent body to regulate the press, backed by law, to prevent a repeat of the excesses which led to a phone hacking scandal at Rupert Murdoch's News of the World tabloid.

Senior judge Brian Leveson said the recommendations would in no way allow parliament to regulate the newspapers, but his proposals will put Prime Minister David Cameron on a collision course with an already hostile press and senior members of his government if he accepts the findings.
...
Leveson was highly critical of sections of the press, describing its behavior as "outrageous" and said it had "wreaked havoc with the lives of innocent people".

He said the newspapers should be subject to a new law which would set out the principles for an independent self-regulatory body to stick to, that would also place a legal duty on the government to protect the freedom of the press.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/29/us-british-press-inquiry-idUSBRE8AS0NY20121129

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BBC article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20543936

Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/nov/29/leveson-report-new-press-law

[Comrade_McKenzie]

1. Always so far ahead of us. Sigh. nt

[Kelvin Mace]

2. I have a major problem

with a regulated press, especially in the absences of a regulated banking industry.

There should be broad anti-fraud, privacy and extortion statutes that apply to ALL corporations (including the media) that are zealously enforced.

Step one would be that NO corporation may control more than 20% of any industry. If you own newspapers, not only may you not own more than 20% of all newspapers in the country you may not own any other media business.

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. This could split the coalition

David Cameron has backed the principles behind Lord Justice Leveson's recommendation for a tougher regulatory body for the press.

But he says he has "serious concerns and misgivings" over bringing in laws to underpin any new body.

In a first for the coalition, deputy PM Nick Clegg spoke after the PM and disagreed, saying such a watchdog was both "proportionate and workable".

Labour called the report "measured" and backed its conclusions "unequivocally".

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-20539239

Cameron is, of course, closely linked to 2 News International employees who were at the heart of the scandal - Rebekah Brooks, his close personal friend, and Andy Coulson, whom he appointed as Conservative Party communications director, and then his personal Director of Communications after he became PM. They both appeared in court today:

Former News International boss Rebekah Brooks and ex-News of the World editor Andy Coulson have appeared in court to face allegations they paid public officials for information.

They and three others are charged with conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office, as part of a police inquiry codenamed Operation Elveden.
...
The allegations against Mr Kay, Mrs Brooks and Ms Jordan-Barber, 39, from Shrivenham, Oxfordshire, are that Ms Jordan-Barber was paid about £100,000 in return for information used to write approximately 60 Sun news articles between 2004 and 2012.
...
The allegations against Mr Coulson, 44 from Kent, and Mr Goodman, 55 from Surrey, relate to authorised payments to public officials in exchange for information, including a royal phone directory known as the "Green Book" that contained contact details for the Royal Family.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20541126