The red-tops are having a hard time of it this week, with a resurgence of interest in the ongoing phone hacking scandal, and Chris Atkins debating the falseness of tabloid news.
Though the phone-hacking saga kicked off in 2008, the story has reignited recently after the New York Times published a lengthy feature article last month and Channel 4 aired its Dispatches investigation last night. There is renewed pressure on former NoW editor Andy Coulson to admit knowledge of NoW reporters’ hacking private phone conversations and increasing public awareness and disgust with the tabloid ‘dark arts’.
Filed under: Law, Media | Tags: carter-ruck, defamation, frontline club, libel law, media law, press freedom
It was too good to be true – Carter Ruck and Simon Singh in the same room! Debating libel law! Rargh!
In the wake of the online campaign to reform British libel law, the Frontline Club put together a panel to debate privacy, gagging orders/superinjunctions and whether current laws are a threat to press freedom in the UK.
On the panel were Nigel Tait for Carter-F..Ruck; David Leigh, Guardian investigations editor (he testified during the Trafigura case); science journalist Simon Singh and a slightly nicer lawyer called David Hooper just to make Nigel more comfortable. I had been hoping for bloodshed but sadly there was none. Though the Carter-Rucker did turn up with a ‘The Guardian hates me’ badge pinned to his lapel. (more…)
