Aftermath of the Leveson Inquiry

[G-Unit]

Oh My...sharon Stone... on myword I declaire!

That is a very nice pic of Kate with a nice dress/make up/ all luverly indeed.


I have just noticed  THEY both work for 'charities'  aw how cool is that? taking up good causes to promote Maddie...erm ...

Do you mean Hacked Off? It's a limited company, not a charity.

[stephen25000]

it is possible to be a consultant and a surgeon.....a consultant surgeon

So he's a doctor and 'not a bricklayer'.

Dammit Jim. %£5&%

[faithlilly]

It would seem that not even the supporters over on the Find Madeleine are paricilarly interested in the latest attempt by Hacked Off's spokesman Gerald McCann to stifle press freedom. In the last 30 sp hours a measly 42 people have 'liked' the posted propoganda with a risible seven comments in support.

[Brietta]

It would seem that not even the supporters over on the Find Madeleine are paricilarly interested in the latest attempt by Hacked Off's spokesman Gerald McCann to stifle press freedom. In the last 30 sp hours a measly 42 people have 'liked' the posted propoganda with a risible seven comments in support.

Indeed, however it would be good to contemplate the type of 'press freedom' you appear to suggest is being stifled.

One of the signatories to the open letter is Jacqui Hanes  http://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/apr/05/letter-from-victims-of-press-abuse-to-david-cameron-full-text  whose family suffered hacking, surveillance and intrusion by newspapers when her husband was investigating a murder case with links to News International associates.


**snip
The murder of Mr Morgan was raised at the Leveson inquiry into media standards and ethics on Tuesday in evidence from former Metropolitan Police detective and BBC Crimewatch presenter Jacqui Hames.

She told the inquiry that she and her husband, Det Chief Supt Dave Cook, were placed under surveillance by the News of the World after he appeared on Crimewatch seeking information about Mr Morgan's murder.

Ms Hames told the inquiry that Southern Investigations had "close links" to Alex Marunchak, the newspaper's crime editor in the late 1980s.

Jacqui Hames said she was put under surveillance by reporters

In a statement, she said: "I believe that the real reason for the News of the World placing us under surveillance was that suspects in the Daniel Morgan murder inquiry were using their association with a powerful and well-resourced newspaper to try to intimidate us and so attempt to subvert the investigation."

Alastair Morgan (the murder victim's brother) said his family believed they too had been placed under surveillance following a critical development in the case in 1998.

"I was living in Scotland at the time, my partner was doing a journalism course in Scotland, my mother was in Wales, my sister was in Germany, and over the same weekend we all noticed very strange activities around our homes," he said.

"My mother was photographed, my sister was photographed.

"Last year I wrote to [News International chairman] James Murdoch asking him to investigate this. I haven't even received a reply to my letter."

News International said it had "no comment" to make on Ms Hames's statement to the Leveson inquiry.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-17201982

[G-Unit]

Hacked Off seems to have one aim only. To make it possible for those without funds to seek compensation from the media. Whether the fear of that will be enough to prevent the media from spreading lies is something else.

[Brietta]

Hacked Off seems to have one aim only. To make it possible for those without funds to seek compensation from the media. Whether the fear of that will be enough to prevent the media from spreading lies is something else.

I don't think anything will ever prevent newspapers with their own agenda taking a gamble and printing something which they think will sell.
It remains to be seen how the internet versions will handle the situation.

I think the best that can be hoped for is that they will consider very carefully the possible consequences of what they do write ... if the government does act on the promises made and implement section 40, I think it is merely forcing newspaper proprietors and editors to behave as they should already have been doing.

The freedom of the press is sacrosanct or should be , in a democracy ... but that carries with it responsibilities which on many occasions have been ignored.

[Alice Purjorick]

Section 40 of the Crimes and Courts Act 2013 for those interetsed.

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2013/22/section/40

40 Awards of costs

(1)This section applies where—

(a)a relevant claim is made against a person (“the defendant”),

(b)the defendant was a relevant publisher at the material time, and

(c)the claim is related to the publication of news-related material.

(2)If the defendant was a member of an approved regulator at the time when the claim was commenced (or was unable to be a member at that time for reasons beyond the defendant's control or it would have been unreasonable in the circumstances for the defendant to have been a member at that time), the court must not award costs against the defendant unless satisfied that—

(a)the issues raised by the claim could not have been resolved by using an arbitration scheme of the approved regulator, or

(b)it is just and equitable in all the circumstances of the case to award costs against the defendant.

(3)If the defendant was not a member of an approved regulator at the time when the claim was commenced (but would have been able to be a member at that time and it would have been reasonable in the circumstances for the defendant to have been a member at that time), the court must award costs against the defendant unless satisfied that—

(a)the issues raised by the claim could not have been resolved by using an arbitration scheme of the approved regulator (had the defendant been a member), or

(b)it is just and equitable in all the circumstances of the case to make a different award of costs or make no award of costs.

(4)The Secretary of State must take steps to put in place arrangements for protecting the position in costs of parties to relevant claims who have entered into agreements under section 58 of the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990.

(5)This section is not to be read as limiting any power to make rules of court.

(6)This section does not apply until such time as a body is first recognised as an approved regulator.

[jassi]

This might have more chance of becoming law if any money awarded went to the courts, rather than to the person claiming libel

I wonder how many people would bring a case if there was no chance of getting a wodge of cash at the end of the proceedings?

[Alice Purjorick]

This might have more chance of becoming law if any money awarded went to the courts, rather than to the person claiming libel

I wonder how many people would bring a case if there was no chance of getting a wodge of cash at the end of the proceedings?

Probably very few. With the changes to defamation laws and Conditional Fee Arrangements I suspect the whole thing is now a bit more risky for a plaintiff and solicitors now have their success fees capped so might not be so keen as they once were either.
Section 40 would seem to offer a "something for nothing" route. One begins to see why HackedOff are so!
As for Leveson2 it has been mooted for three years that would never happen.

Like most public inquiries it is like March; in like a lion out like a lamb.

There are some interesting bits in here:
http://findlaw.co.uk/law/dispute_resolution/litigation/costs_and_funding/conditional-fee-agreements.html

[Brietta]

This might have more chance of becoming law if any money awarded went to the courts, rather than to the person claiming libel

I wonder how many people would bring a case if there was no chance of getting a wodge of cash at the end of the proceedings?

I don't think there are many people making a living from litigation, George Galloway being one of the few who has managed to make it a financially punitive experience for those who have maligned and libelled him.

People don't want to be stalked, harassed and spied upon in an unjustified way by the press ... all they want is the freedom to be allowed to get on with their lives.
In my opinion receiving damages takes second place to stopping the press harassment experienced by them.   

[G-Unit]

Hacked Off are receiving a lot of criticism for saying the newspapers should have printed the Wittingdale story. Strange when they are campaigning for less press intrusion to complain when the press decide not to intrude? They are being accused of rank hypocrisy and have just been referred to as 'nonentities' by Neil Wallace on the Jeremy Vine show.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3537386/BBC-Hacked-accused-rank-hypocrites-revealing-Culture-Secretary-John-Whittingdale-s-relationship-dominatrix-met-online-dating-site.html

[Brietta]

Hacked Off are receiving a lot of criticism for saying the newspapers should have printed the Wittingdale story. Strange when they are campaigning for less press intrusion to complain when the press decide not to intrude? They are being accused of rank hypocrisy and have just been referred to as 'nonentities' by Neil Wallace on the Jeremy Vine show.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3537386/BBC-Hacked-accused-rank-hypocrites-revealing-Culture-Secretary-John-Whittingdale-s-relationship-dominatrix-met-online-dating-site.html

Hmmm ... Culture Secretary whose portfolio would appear to include press regulation.

A press inherently hostile to 'censorship' some of whom have been sitting on this individual's story saying 'not in the public interest' while railing against the super injunction preventing them from identifying the household name they have been trying to spill the dirt on ... in the public interest, perhaps?

Useful to consider cui bono in these situations and why the 'outrage' at Hacked Off from those who are not best pleased with the recommendations made by Leveson, all of which have not yet been implemented despite parliamentary agreement to do so.


**snip
But Labour's culture spokesman, Chris Bryant, said the Culture Secretary had a 'right to private life'.
But he suggested he should have withdrawn from making decisions about press regulation because of the 'sword of Damocles' hanging over his head.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3537386/BBC-Hacked-accused-rank-hypocrites-revealing-Culture-Secretary-John-Whittingdale-s-relationship-dominatrix-met-online-dating-site.html#ixzz45ieMKoSb

[Alice Purjorick]

Well you have to admit The Mail article offers some amusement if nothing else. Provided you have a reasonable grasp of English grammar, a slightly lascivious mind and good sense of the ridiculous. Examples that amused me below:

 Hacked Off have today been branded 'rank hypocrites' after a cabinet minister was forced to admit he unknowingly had a relationship with a prostitute he met through online dating. I am still trying work out how one has a relationship unknowingly.

The BBC has also been accused of pursuing its own agenda against Culture Secretary John Whittingdale, who is currently pushing to reform the corporation and its licence fee.

News of the MP's 2014 relationship was made public last night by Newsnight in an interview with Hacked Off founder Brain Cathcart.

The Tory MP for Maldon told the programme he did not know the woman was a dominatrix and he broke it off when he discovered. Ouch! I bet that brought tears to his eyes.


The story is only of public interest if Whittingdale's position in the cabinet or indeed the whole cabinet is compromised as a consequence. Otherwise the interest is simply prurience, a bit like Hugh Grant being caught for lewd conduct in a public place all those years ago..................... &%+((£

[Brietta]

Well you have to admit The Mail article offers some amusement if nothing else. Provided you have a reasonable grasp of English grammar, a slightly lascivious mind and good sense of the ridiculous. Examples that amused me below:

 Hacked Off have today been branded 'rank hypocrites' after a cabinet minister was forced to admit he unknowingly had a relationship with a prostitute he met through online dating. I am still trying work out how one has a relationship unknowingly.

The BBC has also been accused of pursuing its own agenda against Culture Secretary John Whittingdale, who is currently pushing to reform the corporation and its licence fee.

News of the MP's 2014 relationship was made public last night by Newsnight in an interview with Hacked Off founder Brain Cathcart.

The Tory MP for Maldon told the programme he did not know the woman was a dominatrix and he broke it off when he discovered. Ouch! I bet that brought tears to his eyes.


The story is only of public interest if Whittingdale's position in the cabinet or indeed the whole cabinet is compromised as a consequence. Otherwise the interest is simply prurience, a bit like Hugh Grant being caught for lewd conduct in a public place all those years ago..................... &%+((£

I missed the broken off bit.  Must say I LOL at your comment. 

[mercury]

Who is the guy in the middle lol

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/picture/2016/apr/13/steve-bell-on-john-whittingdale-and-press-regulation-cartoon

As for hacked off group,how can they say the papers had an obligation to print this whilst in the other breath complaining about press intrusion? Because that is all I see...a private affair