Hacked Off Draft Bill
Hacked Off has published a draft bill which it believes will implement the recommendations of the Leveson Report in full.
The 37 page draft bill was compiled by Hugh Tomlinson QC and Daniel Greenberg, a former member of the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel.
A summary of the bill is as follows:
- It enshrines the freedom of the press in statute for the first time and makes attempt of ministerial or other interference in the media illegal
- It specifies the standards which the voluntary independent press self regulator will have to meet to satisfy public demand for a system that is effective and independent of the Government, Parliament and the newspaper industry
- It proposes a transparent democratic system to appoint a Recognition Commission to verify on behalf of the public that press self regulation is doing its job properly
- It gives legal effect to Leveson’s incentives to publishers to join the self regulatory through access under specified circumstances, to reduce costs and court proceedings and protection from exemplary damages
Cross party talks are still taking place this week. The press are also to meet to discuss what form of self regulation it is willing to endorse to replace the Press Complaints Commission.