PCC faces grilling at Leveson Inquiry next week

Posted by Andrew Pugh on 27 January 2012 at 11:03
Tags: Journalism, Newspapers, press freedom

The Leveson Inquiry will focus on the role of regulators next week when representatives from the Press Compliants Commission, media regulator Ofcom and the Advertising Standards Agency will give evidence.

On Monday the current director of the PCC, Stephen Abell, will appear at the inquiry, as well as former director Tim Toulmin.

Tuesday will see evidence from the former chairman of both the BBC and ITV, Michael Grade, who joined the PCC as a public member in April.

(more…)

Does Egypt want a free press like ours?

Posted by Cleland Thom on 26 January 2012 at 09:34
Tags: International, Journalism, Newspapers, People, Photography, press freedom

I was chatting to an Egyptian journalist, George al Masry, recently. He works for Al gomhuria, the state-owned Egyptian daily newspaper and has been active in the Tahrir Square revolution.

He is now helping to establish a free press in a country where the media has been heavily controlled.

He had just read one of my law updates, where I mentioned that a new European Union directive on data retention enabled 795 public bodies to request journalists’ phone records going back a year.

(more…)

Police reject photographer’s ‘victimisation’ claims

Posted by Cleland Thom on 19 January 2012 at 14:19
Tags: Journalism, Law, Magazines, National Newspapers, Newspapers, People, Photography, press freedom

Greater Manchester Police today rejected suggestions its officers were targeting a magazine photographer who claims he has been assaulted by officers three times while doing his job.

Stuart Littleford, editor of the Government and Public Sector Journal, has filed three complaints against the force, including two in the last four weeks. (more…)

Photographer booked for obstruction makes police assault complaint

Posted by Cleland Thom on 18 January 2012 at 09:43
Tags: Journalism, Law, National Newspapers, Newspapers, Photography, Regional Newspapers, press freedom

A magazine photographer claims he has been threatened and prevented from doing his job by Greater Manchester Police officers in Oldham - for the third time.

Stuart Littleford, editor of the Government and Public Sector Journal, says an officer pushed his camera away and intimidated and abused him for over ten minutes.

The officer then booked his car for obstruction and started checking his tyres and tax disc.

The incident happened on the afternoon of Monday, 16 January, in Oldham. (more…)

Ummm … what, exactly, is a journalist?

Posted by Cleland Thom on 10 January 2012 at 07:30
Tags: Journalism, Journalism education, Law, Magazines, National Newspapers, New Media, Newspapers, Online, Regional Newspapers, press freedom

A libel case in Oregon, US, has highlighted an issue that is already troubling the media in this country – what, exactly, is a journalist?

It used to be clear enough. You got paid badly, worked for a newspaper, magazine or broadcaster and fiddled your expenses. (more…)

Guardian columnist launches defence of tabloids in wake of Lawrence verdict

Posted by Press Gazette on 4 January 2012 at 11:05
Tags: National Newspapers, Newspapers, press freedom

The Guardian today praised the “bold” journalism of the Daily Mail’s coverage of the Stephen Lawrence murder.

In an editorial The Guardian said the case “clearly owes more to Stephen Lawrence’s parents than to anyone else”, but also acknowledged that the Daily Mail kept the issue in the public eye and that its coverage “became a national reprimand to the criminal justice and political system in a wider sense”.

Also in today’s Guardian, columnist Jonathan Freedland has written an article headlined: “In defence of Britain’s tabloid newspapers”.

In it he says that the Mail’s 1997 “Murderers” front page “helped make the case impossible to ignore” and was “without question, the Mail’s finest hour”.

(more…)

PCC says public interest changes won’t undermine source confidentiality

Posted by Cleland Thom on 20 December 2011 at 22:05
Tags: Journalism, Magazines, National Newspapers, Newspapers, Online, Regional Newspapers, press freedom

The Press Complaints Commission has assured journalists that new restrictions on researching stories “in the public interest” will not compromise their confidential sources.

Yesterday, the Editors’ Code Committee announced that from January 1, 2012, it will tighten up the way the code’s public interest defence is used. (more…)

Wikileaks suspends publishing to fight credit card companies and ensure ‘financial survival’

Posted by Press Gazette on 24 October 2011 at 12:13
Tags: Journalism, New Media, Online, press freedom

Wikileaks is suspending the publication of state secrets in order to ensure its financial survival.

According to The Daily Telegraph the whistleblowing website is halting its publishing operations to fight a “blockade” set up by credit card companies.

In a statement quoted by The Telegraph Wikileaks announced:

In order to ensure our future survival, WikiLeaks is now forced to temporarily suspend its publishing operations and aggressively fundraise in order to fight back against this blockade and its proponents.

In the statement Wikileaks, which was set up by Julian Assange, said it had published the “biggest leaks in journalistic history” but that this had “triggered aggressive retaliation from powerful groups”.

It claimed that since 7 December 2010, when it began publishing the ‘Cablegate’ cache of embassy documents, it had been hit by a “arbitrary and unlawful financial blockade” by Bank of America, VISA, MasterCard, PayPal and Western Union.

(more…)

Cameron: Leveson Inquiry is no threat to press freedom

Posted by Press Gazette on 21 October 2011 at 10:11
Tags: Journalism, Law, National Newspapers, Newspapers, Regional Newspapers, press freedom

Prime Minister David Cameron yesterday insisted the Leveson Inquiry into phone-hacking and media standards was not a “hideous threat” to press freedom.

Cameron also vowed the press should be free to investigate the “dark recesses” of society, according to a report in The Daily Telegraph.

Speaking at a Newspaper Society lunch he said:

I am passionate about not just a free press but a press that feels free to inquire. I don’t want anything to stop that.

I don’t want MPs to use [the inquiry] as an avenue for revenge for the expenses saga.

(more…)

Daily Mail backs ‘insufferably smug’ Guardian in sources battle with the Met

Posted by Press Gazette on 20 September 2011 at 10:25
Tags: Journalism, National Newspapers, Newspapers, press freedom

The Daily Mail has come out in support of The Guardian in its refusal to reveal the identity of phone-hacking sources to the Met – despite claiming the paper is “increasingly detached from both the real world and the concerns of ordinary Britons”.

Outspoken columnist Richard Littlejohn wrote in today’s paper:

When I heard that Scotland Yard was using the Official Secrets Act in an attempt to force  Guardian journalists to name the sources of their stories about the phone-hacking investigation, my instinctive initial  reaction was: serves them right. The Guardian opened this can of worms. Let them live with the consequences. (more…)

Report: All contact between police and journalists could become regulated by press officers

Posted by Press Gazette on 2 September 2011 at 11:36
Tags: Journalism, Law, Newspapers, press freedom

Two inquiries are reportedly considering plans to make all contact between police and journalists regulated and recorded by press officers.

The claim was made in an article on guardian.co.uk today, raising the prospect that police officers of all ranks could be “prevented from talking freely to the media”.

The proposals are reportedly being considered in two enquiries: one ordered by the home secretary Theresa May looking into allegations of corruption in relationships between the police and the media, and another aimed at drawing up a framework on how “officers operate in their contact with journalists”.

(more…)

Johnston Press sacks rebel South Yorks editor

Posted by Dominic Ponsford on 11 August 2011 at 10:50
Tags: Regional Newspapers, press freedom

One month into an indefinite strike at South Yorkshire Newspapers - Johnston Press has made outspoken editor Jim Oldfield redundant.

Oldfield defied bosses by reporting the industrial dispute on his own front page two weeks’ running.

Jon Slattery reports on his blog that Oldfield was given his marching orders in a brown envelope couriered to his home.

Slattery also has quotes from Oldfield, who has been sacked despite achieving circulation and awards success. (more…)

Metro notes Guardian journalist David Leigh’s 2006 phone-hacking admission

Posted by Andrew Pugh on 5 August 2011 at 10:25
Tags: Journalism, Law, National Newspapers, press freedom

Metro’s political editor John Higginson has highlighted an article in The Guardian from 2006 in which the paper’s investigations executive editor David Leigh admitted to intercepting voicemails.

Leigh’s defence was that he used phone-hacking to expose “bribery and corruption” and not “witless tittle-tattle about the royal family”. (more…)

AP veteran appointed Thomson Foundation chief executive

Posted by Andrew Pugh on 26 July 2011 at 12:38
Tags: Broadcast, International, Journalism, Journalism education, Television, press freedom

The Thomson Media Foundation has appointed Associated Press veteran Nigel Baker as its new chief executive.

Thomson said that Baker, AP’s vice-president of business operations for EMEA and Asia, will bring a “mix of world-class commercial and journalism skills in the news business” to the Cardiff-based charity, which provides training and development advice to media companies in the developing world. (more…)

Mumbai investigative journalist shot dead by motorbike gunmen

Posted by Dominic Ponsford on 13 June 2011 at 08:35
Tags: Journalism, People, press freedom

The crime and investigations editor of Indian newspaper Mumbai was shot dead on Saturday by four men riding motorcycles in what was apparently a contract killing.

The 56-year-old journalist had been writing stories about Mumbai’s ‘oil mafia’ exploring the links between criminals and politicians. (more…)

Trinity Mirror digital boss sounds press freedom warning over Cameron NHS reforms

Posted by Dominic Ponsford on 8 June 2011 at 11:54
Tags: Journalism, press freedom

Amid growing concern about secrecy involving medical malpractice hearings - head of multimedia at Trinity Mirror regionals David Higgerson has written about the secrecy which surrounds decision-making at NHS Foundation Trusts. (more…)

NUJ complains as police force issues its own press passes

Posted by Press Gazette on 6 April 2011 at 11:01
Tags: National Union of Journalists, press freedom

National Union of Journalists freelance organiser John Toner has written to Lancashire Constabulary to complain about the force issuing its own press passes.

The force issued passes to journalists wishing to cover the English Defence League protest in Blackburn on Saturday and initially refused access to those not carrying one, the union claimed. (more…)

Met ‘asked BBC reporters to hand over demonstration footage’

Posted by Press Gazette on 5 April 2011 at 08:25
Tags: BBC, Broadcast, National Union of Journalists, Television, press freedom

BBC journalists have been asked by the Metropolitan Police if they would hand over footage of last month’s march on Government cuts to help an investigation into violence that erupted, according to a report. (more…)

Video: Journalists attacked in Libya hotel brawl

Posted by Press Gazette on 28 March 2011 at 07:30
Tags: Broadcast, People, Television, press freedom

Dramatic footage emerged this weekend of western journalists caught up in a hotel brawl in Tripoli after a Libyan woman burst in announcing she had been raped by government troops.

The scene descended into chaos when the journalists tried to intervene to protect the woman and were pushed out of the way by the government minders.

A British television reporter was punched and a CNN camera was smashed on the ground by the minders. A gun was pulled out in front of a Sky News crew but was not pointed at anyone.

Meanwhile the cameras continued to roll and journalists tried to smuggle the footage out but said attempts were made to prevent this.

Sky News foreign affairs correspondent Lisa Holland was among the reporters caught up in the melee, but Sky said none of its staff were injured.

Audio: Treasury refuses to provide budget cost info to journalist

Posted by Press Gazette on 25 March 2011 at 11:44
Tags: Freedom of Information, New Media, Online, People, press freedom

The Treasury press office refused to a provide a journalist figures that show how much worse off families will be as a result of the budget, according to a report today. (more…)