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Eversheds comment: Digesting the Leveson report

  • United Kingdom

    29-11-2012

    Following the publication of the Leveson report, Andrew Terry, media law expert at global law firm Eversheds, comments:

    "Lord Justice Leveson described the Leveson Inquiry today as the 'most concentrated look at the press this country has ever seen'. It will take time to study the detail but it appears to offer the press one last shot at a form of self-regulation with voluntary membership, in theory at least. It is proposed to be underpinned by statute but Lord Justice Leveson is clear that this is independent regulation organised by the press.

    "Crucially, and perhaps surprisingly, Lord Justice Leveson proposes a voluntary scheme with incentives in place in order that newspapers sign up. These incentives include an arbitration service to deal with disputes in a quick and low cost way, with additional damages being awarded in successful litigation brought against those who do not subscribe to the regulatory body. The detail will need to be scrutinised to understand whether or not Lord Justice Leveson has done enough to address the "Desmond Problem"; i.e. are these proposals really strong enough to guarantee that all major news publishers participate meaningfully in the new regime in the long term?"

    Visit our media law pages for information regarding our legal services.

    Andrew Terry, Partner

    This information is for guidance purposes only and should not be regarded as a substitute for taking legal advice. Please refer to the full terms and conditions on our website.

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