Libel reform and the public – review of MST/INFORRM debate at Gray’s Inn – Gavin Freeguard

Could libel reform have a damaging impact on the public’s access to justice? This was one of the key questions to emerge last night from ‘Libel Reform: in the public’s interest?’, a public debate organised by Gray’s Inn in association with the Media Standards Trust and INFORRM.

Opinion: “Balancing Libel Reform” – Kevin Marsh

When I read Anthony Lester’s bill back in May, my first thought was that this is a bill for journalists. A bill for the media.

This was something he explicitly rebutted back in August when he spoke to Ian Burrell for the Independent.

“This is not a Bill for the media, I want to emphasise that. It’s a Bill for those who are consumers of the media: the citizens, the people.”

Defamation actions – how are they disposed of? [updated]

In previous posts we have considered the final hearings in defamation claims in 2010 – and the decline in the number of trials.  But only a small proportion of defamation cases are actually dealt with at hearings or trials.  There are between 200 and 300 defamation claims commenced each year – 259 in 2008 and 298 in 2009 (see RPC’s analysis and our post commenting on it) – but only 21 were disposed of at hearings.  The question arises as to what happened to the other 200 odd claims which, it seems likely, would have been disposed of in 2010?