tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60652132009-11-03T13:20:32.394-08:00Media Law, Regulation and Policy Media Relations Intellectual Property Freedom of Expression Press Freedom Privacy Defamation Libel Contempt Court Reporting Human Rights Celebrities Copyright Media LawyerMediabeakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13158474201230425980eforbes@mediabeak.comBlogger426125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6065213.post-50228466782496111382009-11-03T13:04:00.000-08:002009-11-03T13:20:32.403-08:00

Kate Winslet has today won £25,000 damages from the Daily Mail over reports the paper ran in January this year that questioned her diet. Today's award follows an earlier apology by the paper and a successful action against Grazia magazine in 2007 after it claimed she was seeing a diet doctor.The Mail gloated over the 2007 award against the magazine and reported the fact Winslet had donated some

Mediabeakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13158474201230425980eforbes@mediabeak.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6065213.post-4216894226421615352009-10-29T14:27:00.000-07:002009-10-29T14:48:05.579-07:00

The Sun splashed its exclusive back in April that there was a Labour plot to smear the Conservatives via a political rumour website 'Red Rag' but it now appears the only bull it has attracted has been Carter Ruck's litigation team who have today secured an apology and substantial damages for Tom Watson who it had - as has now emerged - falsely accused of being part of the plot to smear the Tories

Mediabeakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13158474201230425980eforbes@mediabeak.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6065213.post-36771431243218909992009-10-23T15:21:00.000-07:002009-10-29T15:41:34.360-07:00

Huge debate surrounded the BBC's decision to invite and allow BNP leader Nikc Griffin onto its 'flagship' programme Question Time. No one has emerged a winner - if there can be one in such a situation.Contrary to silly suggestions that allowing Griffin on TV would be 'illegal' it was not - how can one in a democratic society legally prevent someone who is an elected politician - even if we find

Mediabeakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13158474201230425980eforbes@mediabeak.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6065213.post-76859693578068813282009-10-23T14:59:00.000-07:002009-10-29T15:16:54.071-07:00

She's not said sorry but 'apologised' for the timing of her rambling which the Mail decided to publish in the wake of Stephen Gately's untimely death. Jan Moir epitomises what the Mail is about and the words 'objective analysis' or 'reasoned response' or 'timely insight or analysis' do not spring to mind.Getting the record for the most complaints ever lodged with the PCC is not some sort of

Mediabeakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13158474201230425980eforbes@mediabeak.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6065213.post-56639449862558390582009-10-22T15:05:00.000-07:002009-10-22T15:29:21.819-07:00

The Mail should beware. A writ filed at the High Court in London this week claims that its handling, through Chief Executive Peter Kenyon, of the departure of business affairs boss Paul Smith was unprofessional.Only a few years ago The Times ended up having to pay out £250,000 damages to Southampton FC Chairman Rupert Lowe over claims he had acted 'shabbily' in suspending the club's manager. In

Mediabeakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13158474201230425980eforbes@mediabeak.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6065213.post-17512686856400646532009-10-19T18:20:00.000-07:002009-10-22T15:05:43.673-07:00

The PCC has said irrespective of whether friends or family lodge a complaint, the regulator will launch its own inquiry. Jan Moir's insensitive ramble has caused widespread outrage and sent the Twitterati into overdrive. The amount of complaints received by the PCC now exceeds 21,000 and represents more than the regulator has received in total over the past five years.While the heat of the debate

Mediabeakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13158474201230425980eforbes@mediabeak.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6065213.post-38574686063571899892009-10-16T14:56:00.000-07:002009-10-16T15:42:46.682-07:00

The Trafigura question has - without seeking to overstate the case - put democracy and freedom of expression to the test. Social media has displayed its role and effectiveness in following and promoting the debate and - to be fair to Carter Ruck - they have done everything they could for their clients, posturing by raising the sub judice angle to seek to diffuse the debate in Parliament, Alan

Mediabeakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13158474201230425980eforbes@mediabeak.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6065213.post-69079904488155193622009-10-16T08:49:00.000-07:002009-10-16T08:55:20.564-07:00

Justine McGuinness who was appointed former PR adviser to Gerry and Kate McCann has won a libel action against Mirror Group Newspapers over a front-page piece in The People.The paper had published allegations on its front page suggesting McGuinness had resigned as the McCann's PR after charging too much for her expenses. The paper couldn't back up its claims and has today issued an apology in the

Mediabeakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13158474201230425980eforbes@mediabeak.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6065213.post-9774693854942978472009-10-16T03:05:00.000-07:002009-10-16T03:06:38.880-07:00

Peaches Geldof has issued proceedings against the Daily Star after the paper published a less than adequate apology for suggesting she'd received cash for sex. The issue of papers printing apologies and retractions that are as prominent as the original offending articles has been debated by the PCC and news editors. Claimant solicitors are pushing for front page apologies - so far these have been

Mediabeakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13158474201230425980eforbes@mediabeak.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6065213.post-3539739048206563102009-10-15T15:36:00.000-07:002009-10-15T16:24:02.221-07:00

PCC rules that privacy rights don't attach to someone who has been the subject of a police raid.Plymouth businessman Luke Dann took exception to coverage in The (Plymouth) Herald about a raid on his property and search of his cars by dozens of police officers. The raid did not result in any charges but the issue here is - given there was no charge, was it right for the press to report the raid on

Mediabeakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13158474201230425980eforbes@mediabeak.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6065213.post-65951029132488903042009-10-15T14:32:00.000-07:002009-10-15T15:12:24.124-07:00

Harriet Harman had a pop at the judiciary in Parliament this week. As leader of the House of Commons she defended the right to report proceedings in Parliament and said it was not for the courts but for the Speaker of the House to decide what should be restricted in terms of reporting proceedings. Harman has a long track record of defending freedom of speech (Harman v UK)so its great to see her

Mediabeakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13158474201230425980eforbes@mediabeak.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6065213.post-37314446654419605792009-10-14T15:30:00.000-07:002009-10-14T15:57:10.716-07:00

Media Guardian are running a line saying Tory MP Peter Bottomleyis goingto report Carter Ruck for engaging in that heinous offence of seeking to inhibit the reporting of Parliament but is the media's super injuncting nemesis about to be censured? No. They tried it on and along came a question in Parliament which trumped their gag potential so end of. There have been far more serious affronts to

Mediabeakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13158474201230425980eforbes@mediabeak.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6065213.post-83936458124187750842009-10-14T14:46:00.000-07:002009-10-14T15:26:03.707-07:00

According to Ofcom's website, the media regulator has clocked up 3,885 complaints about Dannii's supposed 'banter' with Danyl that was suggestive of media speculation about his sexuality.Now a media storm is brewing over this 'outrage' but is this a justified outpouring and analysis of inappropriate broadcast comment or is it just another example of the media playing with itself to generate a

Mediabeakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13158474201230425980eforbes@mediabeak.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6065213.post-72127554904992896502009-10-13T14:39:00.000-07:002009-10-13T14:56:26.046-07:00

What's the case about: Trafigura - a company based in the Netherlands was supposdely dumping waste in West Africa. A Parliamentary question was tabled in relation to this and unusually, the Guardian newspaper found itself at the centre of a legal gag seeking to prevent it from reporting on the matter.Why this case is important: The High Court had actually ruled that what should be an open

Mediabeakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13158474201230425980eforbes@mediabeak.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6065213.post-56784210509954844552009-10-13T10:20:00.000-07:002009-10-13T12:27:56.524-07:00

The Sun has been forced to apologise and pay damages to Lily Allen after printing a string of allegations it couldn't back up. The complaint relates to a 'story' published in May this year that reproduced quotes - attributed to the singer - that supposedly came from an interview with French sports magazine 'So Foot'.What The Sun said - it printed a story headed 'Ranting Lily' that claimed she had

Mediabeakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13158474201230425980eforbes@mediabeak.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6065213.post-14625929658563418822009-10-07T14:01:00.000-07:002009-10-13T14:36:39.837-07:00

Twitter has tweeted its way into the courtroom and Mediabeak sees there is scope for a new online writ serving service "Writter" to accompany this latest legal action.Facts: A law firm - Griffin Law - who thought they were being impersonated by a 'tweeter' online but could not identify them other than through their online Twitter status, succesfully persuaded the High Court to issue and

Mediabeakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13158474201230425980eforbes@mediabeak.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6065213.post-35913069025215464612009-10-06T15:17:00.000-07:002009-10-13T11:33:21.336-07:00

A year on from punctuating Madonna’s divorce from Guy Ritchie by splashing a series of their wedding photos across its pages, the Mail on Sunday has been forced to make a substantial settlement – to be paid to Madge’s Malawi charity. What the MoS did:• Got hold of photos from Madonna’s wedding in 2000 at the exclusive Skibo Castle in Scotland.• The pictures had previously never been released and

Mediabeakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13158474201230425980eforbes@mediabeak.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6065213.post-34436742141707660882009-09-03T15:37:00.000-07:002009-09-03T16:04:07.829-07:00

The great and the good of UK broadcast media have just returned from the annual love-in that is the Edinburgh TV festival. James Murdoch ruffled a few feathers with his not unbiased critique of the BBC and regulatory regime - but fair play, we need to have the debate.While we obsess over regulation and the law courts decide to create the back-door privacy law many have feared the real question we

Mediabeakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13158474201230425980eforbes@mediabeak.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6065213.post-56327384956770387982009-02-24T12:36:00.000-08:002009-02-25T14:11:16.721-08:00

The government has finally announced that the escalating cost of legal fees in defamation actions will be controlled. This is good news for defendant lawyers and their (predominantly) media clients who have been at the receiving end of many disproportionate settlements in recent years.The English courts and London have for too long upheld the accolade of being the global capital for libel tourism

Mediabeakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13158474201230425980eforbes@mediabeak.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6065213.post-79615164562621817912009-02-24T11:59:00.000-08:002009-02-25T14:37:15.462-08:00

As is discussed in Mediabeak's other postings (Plans announced to cut defamation costs and Guardian editor sees libel lottery oddsevenly stacked between claimant and defendant) pressure is mounting to tackle the costs associated with libel actions. The government has announced proposals to review the issue and the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee is currently hearing submissions from

Mediabeakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13158474201230425980eforbes@mediabeak.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6065213.post-32704377519559572932009-02-24T06:24:00.000-08:002009-02-25T14:10:34.977-08:00

In response to the media bleating about being bashed by libel costs, claimant lawyers will often cite the gross injustice their clients face and that were it not for conditional fee arrangements, these poor claimants would have no power to get justice and fight back against the big bad media bastions. There is truth in this insofar as many members of the general public have been able to be

Mediabeakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13158474201230425980eforbes@mediabeak.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6065213.post-31472745327402958892009-02-13T15:54:00.000-08:002009-02-13T15:58:27.698-08:00

As mediaguardian reports, the Daily Mail has been forced to apologise to four women after suggesting they opted for adoption to preserve their looks and careers.The four women had been named in an article that appeared in the Femail section of the Mail last November. Its headline “How women are so afraid of losing their careers or their figures they’re choosing adoption over childbirth” (short

Mediabeakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13158474201230425980eforbes@mediabeak.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6065213.post-8296821513402774572009-02-11T15:13:00.000-08:002009-02-11T15:37:31.261-08:00

The House of Lords has today dusted down its wigs and banged its gavel and drawn an important line in the sand in relation to political suppression of world news.Backstory to this is that the BBC had come under scrutiny for its coverage of the middle east conflict - specifically the Israel-Palestine conflict (which is again topical and deserves more discussion...but not for now or will be here a

Mediabeakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13158474201230425980eforbes@mediabeak.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6065213.post-29655832338348805112009-02-10T15:01:00.000-08:002009-02-11T15:13:15.574-08:00

As Mediabeak reported last week, The Sunday Express has today been in court to confirm its agreement to pay undisclosed libel damages to Pentagon Capital Management over a story that claimed the firm was intending to withold £1bn of its investors funds.As reported on mediaguardian it seems the article was prompted by the paper's proprietor Frank Desmond.Roy Greenslade certainly thinks that

Mediabeakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13158474201230425980eforbes@mediabeak.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6065213.post-34193521003479230252009-02-09T15:00:00.000-08:002009-02-09T15:47:54.888-08:00

In its report 'A more accountable press' published today, the Media Standards Trustsays that the public thinks more needs to be done to tackle the inaccuracies and intrusion regularly practiced by the media. To back this up, the Media Standards Trust commissioned and is citing research by YouGov that claims (based on an extrapolation of their sample) over 75% of the public believe that the media

Mediabeakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13158474201230425980eforbes@mediabeak.com0