The three Cs of changing libel: Costs, Citizen critics and Corporations

First posted by Judith Townend on The Media Standards Trust blog.

Lord Lester of Herne Hill brought his private member’s defamation bill to City University, London last week to be scrutinised by lawyers, journalists and academics, ahead of the government’s own white paper, due to be published early next year.

The collection of papers provided a spectrum of views, building on Lester’s bill which was introduced to the House of Lords in May 2010. While divided in their approaches to reform, the speakers and panellists agreed some form of change to England’s libel law is necessary.

Three Cs came out of the discussion, with costs the dominant talking point. … Read more

Reserve your ticket for the Reframing Libel symposium – 4th November 2010

Tickets are now available for the Reframing Libel Symposium.

  • Event Type: Forums
  • Speaker(s): Lord Lester of Herne Hill QC; Magnus Boyd; Tracey Brown; Dominic Crossley; Robert Dougans; David Allen Green; Professor Roy Greenslade; Razi Mireskandari; Professor Alastair Mullis; Dr Andrew Scott; Hugh Tomlinson QC; Dr Peter Wilmshurst
  • Date: Thursday 4th November 2010
  • Time: 10:00 AM – 4.30 PM
  • Location: Oliver Thompson Lecture Theatre, City University London, Northampton Square, London, EC1V 0HB
    Map

The symposium, organised by Connie St Louis at the Centre for Law, Justice and Journalism at City University London, will discuss Lord Lester’s defamation bill, currently passing through Parliament.

Expert speakers from the fields of law and media will present papers on how libel law needs to be reframed, each focusing on different aspects of the issue.

One of the aims is to create a book of working papers, entitled ‘Reframing Libel’, which will be able to influence the government’s bill before it is published in January 2011.

Further details to follow.

Ticket contact details: events [at] city.ac.uk

Symposium enquiries: Connie St Louis, C.Stlouis [at] city.ac.uk

Website / social media enquiries: Judith Townend, jt.townend [at] gmail.com

Mark Stephens: Lord Lester’s bill will be ‘killed’

Panel-Bloggers-in-the-Dock2-1024x505

Lord Lester’s defamation bill is likely to meet an unhappy fate, lawyer Mark Stephens suggested at last night’s ‘Bloggers in the Dock’ event at the Free Word Centre in London. Speaking alongside Sense About Science’s Sile Lane and journalist/blogger Dave Osler, Stephens, who sits on the board of Index on Censorship, said he was prepared … Read more

Lord Lester speaks out on defamation bill ahead of Lib Dem conference

“My Bill contains stronger and clearer defences and strikes a fairer balance between private reputation and public information,” Lord Anthony Lester writes, ahead of the Liberal Democrat party conference in Liverpool.
“It is not a charter for irresponsible journalism, nor a rigid code. Rather, it is a framework of principles and factors to be taken into account so that the law is applied with a sense of proportion.”

What is the Reframing Libel Symposium?

What is Reframing Libel? An all-day symposium debating libel reform

When? Thursday 4th November 2010, 10 am – 4.30 pm

Where? City University London, Northampton Square, EC1V 0HB

How do I book? Ticket details coming soon.

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