New Zealand media regulation reforms – Steven Price

New Zealand has been looking at new proposals for media regulation which address the digital revolution … Unlike Australia and the UK, the NZ Law Commission’s media reform plans have met with minimal resistance … Barrister Steven Price investigates

A Dacre’s Dozen: 12 fatal flaws in the press barons’ charter – Evan Harris

In an attempt to undermine the Royal Charter on press regulation that has been agreed by all parties in Parliament, Associated Newspapers News International and Telegraph Group have published their own rival charter, the “PressBoF” Royal Charter.

Public distrusts press version of regulation scheme – Brian Cathcart

Almost three times as many people distrust the press regulation scheme put forward by some of the newspapers as trust it, according to a new opinion poll by the YouGov organisation.  In March, a Royal Charter based on Leveson [pdf] was backed by all parties in Parliament and it is due to be approved by the Privy Council in June, but last month a group of news organisations published and have now petitioned the Privy Council [pdf]

Media Reform Coalition: This press barons’ charter is neither independent nor fair

On 25 April 2013 the rulers of Fleet Street  thumbed their nose at four months of negotiations, campaigns and public protests to propose a Royal Charter which suits their aims. This press barons’ charter not only replicates but actually worsens the problems they tried to get away with in February. It allows substantial influence by politicians and serious interference from the press in the appointment and recognition of the new regulator and neuters its powers to handle complaints.

Three corporations clinging to the PCC wreckage – Brian Cathcart

And then there were three. Far from being the work of ‘the newspaper industry’, the latest attempt to prevent effective, independent press regulation on Leveson lines is being led by just three organisations.

Leveson: Press proposes its own “Royal Charter”

A number of newspaper groups have, today, proposed their own “Royal Charter” for the “Independent Self-Regulation of the Press” [pdf] to incorporate a “recognition panel” to determine applications for recognition from Regulators.   The proposal comes from the national newspapers – not including the Guardian or the Independent.

Leveson: an Ethical Charter for the Press: how does it measure up to regulation overseas? – Lara Fielden

What does the draft Royal Charter really mean when it sets out the three core touchstones of press regulation recommended by Lord Justice Leveson – that it is ‘voluntary’, ‘independent’ and ‘self-regulatory’? And how far are these qualities reflected in press regulation overseas?

Leveson’s regulator and the goal of protecting ‘real harm caused to real people’: A likely story? – Paul Wragg

In his report, Lord Justice Leveson expressed concern at the ‘real harm caused to real people’ resulting from the ‘cultural indifference to individual privacy and dignity’ that he observes in problematic press behaviour.  The tragic case of Lucy Meadows is surely the paradigm example of what he had in mind. 

Australia: The Great Media Reform Mess – Richard Ackland

The Australian government’s mishandling of legislation related to press standards has left media reform in a mess … Richard Ackland reflects on what went wrong and why the threatened loss of the media exemption under the Privacy Act was a joke.

Media Reform Coalition: Consultation on Leveson for Bloggers and Small Publishers

The Media Reform Coalition has launched a consultation for small publishers, online journalists and bloggers in order to provide input into the final parliamentary consideration of the Crime and Courts Bill, the legislation backing the Leveson recommendations for media self-regulation.