The Leveson Report, which was published in November 2012, was the result of the judge-led public inquiry into the “culture, practice and ethics of the press” established by the UK government in the wake of the phone-hacking scandal involving the News of the World, a now defunct tabloid. The most controversial of the report’s series of recommendations was the proposal that there should be legislation to underpin independent self-regulation of the press in order to make self-regulation effective, create incentives for its implementation and ensure public trust and confidence. In the months since the report’s publication, this particular recommendation has prompted intense parliamentary and public debates, private cross-party negotiations and discussions amongst newspaper editors and proprietors. In March 2013, a political agreement was reached by the three main political parties to establish a new regulatory regime for the press through the adoption of a royal charter which would be backed by statute.
This CMCS session will examine key media freedom-related issues arising out of the Leveson Report’s proposal on press regulation and the Draft Royal Charter on Self-Regulation of the Press. It will consider the international dimensions of this model of press regulation intended for the UK, particularly its compliance with the UK’s international legal obligations on freedom of expression and its implications for other states in Europe and beyond.
The session will begin with a presentation by Sejal Parmar, Assistant Professor of Law at the Legal Studies Department of the Central European University. Sejal was formerly Senior Legal Officer at ARTICLE 19, the leading international human rights organization focusing on freedom of expression and freedom of information.