Press Freedom

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Press Freedom

28 Feb 2009

The panel discuss the diminishment of media freedom in recent years. Amid increasing concern that many newspapers will be forced to close in the near future – indeed, many already have – they examine the reasons for the erosion of freedom of speech in the press and the stranglehold that libel has placed on journalism.

Alan Rusbridger begins by discussing how London has become the world centre for libel cases, because Britain's legal system is so favourable to claimants – this has even led the US Congress to attempt to make British libel laws unenforceable in America. He makes the point that libel has a stranglehold on the media, with the press often scared to tackle important issues for fear of incurring legal action.

Fatima Bhutto talks about the stranglehold that the government in Pakistan is trying to enforce on the public and the press by trying to pass a Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act. This would enable the government to secretly obtain data from internet service providers and would also make such crimes as sending jokes about political figures by text or email, or having a fake email account, punishable by prison sentences or, for the more serious crimes, death. This lack of freedom has meant that the Pakistani press has not even mentioned that part of the country is now effectively ruled by the Taliban.

Moving the discussion back to Britain, Andrew Gilligan suggests that the press need to start getting angry about their lack of freedom to cover important issues. Already, journalists are afraid to cover certain issues, and if the government press ahead with their plans for an information database, it will be increasingly difficult for the press to contact the whistleblowers that leak important stories. He cites the case of the journalists arrested for leaking the IPCC report about the Jean Charles de Menezes shooting as an example of this.

Nick Cohen returns to the theme of libel, reinforcing Alan Rusbridger's earlier comments, and noting that even the UN has described British libel laws as a threat to freedom of speech.

Joanne Cash finishes by suggesting some ways forward in combating the lack of freedom of speech in the media, citing the American example of preventing some public figures from issuing libel claims.