Hacking inquiry – Hacked off

As the Leveson Inquiry shapes up and witness hearings approach, reporters have been wondering about how much legal protection they have to cover the proceedings. Questions have arisen around the issues of defamation and contempt of court and, more importantly, on whether it will be safe to report just any information made public during witness [...]

  The role of corporate governance in maintaining standards   by Sly Bailey   Today I’ve been asked to outline how the system of Corporate Governance works in practice at Trinity Mirror. Unlike many newspaper companies we’re a plc, a public limited company, we therefore have expectations that are placed on us and expectations that [...]

  What redress should be available for breach of standards?   by Desmond Browne QC   I have been given ten minutes, so let me plunge straight in. My brief is to examine the question what redress should be available to a victim of a breach of standards. Obviously there are two routes: (1) through [...]

  The future for self regulation: An editor’s perspective   by Paul Dacre   Thank you for inviting me to speak to you today. Let me start by making it clear that I unequivocally condemn phone hacking and payments to the police. Such practices are a disgrace and have shocked and shamed us all. They [...]

  Defending freedom of expression   by Kelvin MacKenzie   So where is David Cameron today? Where is our great Prime Minister who ordered this ludicrous inquiry? After all the only reason we are all here is due to one man’s action; Cameron’s obsessive arse kissing over the years of Rupert Murdoch. Tony Blair was [...]

  Defending freedom of expression   by Professor James Curran   Last Thursday, we were told that Britain has the most competitive press in the world. We were informed by a distinguished editor that ‘the freedoms won here became the model for much of the rest of world’. A positive comparison was also made between [...]