How On Earth Can This Be Said To Be Fair?

[youngmafbog]

Mosely is clearly not independent, after being exposed with prostitutes in uniform he has had an almost pathological hatred of the press as have many MPs' exposed for the expenses scandal.

And how can you expect the papers to pay the costs of every lunatic that sues them? This is clearly an attempt at suppressing free speech and will apply across the board so before the right on say good riddance to the Mail remember the same applies to your beloved Guardian and BBC!

May needs to step up and get this stopped now.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4083762/Max-Mosley-insists-plans-force-newspapers-pay-opponents-legal-costs-win-extremely-fair.html

[Gromit]

we have had an unregulated press, which has been self policed by the Press Complaints Commission, and that has failed miserably. So something needed to be done.

But this imposed regulator is both dodgy and ill thoughtout. The way it was set up and appointed has not been transparent. Therehas not really been any consultation process, and Mosely is not a fit and proper person to run it.

It is unclear what the Government is trying to achieve with this. It is in no ones interest to ruin hundreds of newspapers, so it seems like it may be a sledgehammer to crack a small nut.

[Gromit]

// Most newspapers have instead signed up to the Independent Press Standards Organisation (Ipso), a voluntary independent body not backed by the Government. //

iPSO is not Independent, it is just the PCC rebranded, and funded by the newspapers themselves. It is the same self policing that didn't work before.

[EDDIE51]

Something needs to be done about the *** the Daily Wail spouts !

[EDDIE51]

I would put it the other way about!
How can it be fair that a newspaper can publish what it likes including half truth and outright lies knowing it will get away with it as no one can afford to sue them?

[youngmafbog]

And the Grundian never gets it wrong?

[Togo]

Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.

Thomas Jefferson. (Who hated the press with passion)

[EDDIE51]

All newspapers get it wrong sometimes but the 'Wail' makes it virtually an editorial policy!

[Togo]

Only for they who have an entirely "different policy". ^^

[Togo]

“In a time of deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”   G. Orwell

[naomi24]

^Never a truer word .....

[Old_Geezer]

Justice should be free for all; but to avoid trivial cases some basic check should be made on viability before claims get to court. It is wrong that rich companies with expensive lawyers should mean those of normal means can not afford not justify the cost of being treated fairly. In the type of case referred to in the OP though, it is usually two wealthy parties disputing something so the idea of the loser being awarded costs is ludicrous. Something probably needs to change but suggestions as to what, need to be sane.

[Old_Geezer]

...Can not afford nor justify...

This _++-&_ tablet keeps changing things !!!! No idea how to stop it interfering. It's worse than a normal PC or mobile !

[Old_Geezer]

AND it capitalised the 'c' !

[EDDIE51]

One change I would like is that if a newspaper get a story wrong and is ordered to publish an apology, that apology should have equal space and prominence as the original . So if they publish a whole front page story with banner headlines and that story is proved wrong, the apology should also be banner headlines across the entire front page. Not 1/2 inch single column note on an inside page as they do at present.

[Gromit]

Self regulation is clearly wrong.

But what the Government has done is hand out the job of press regulator to the highest bidder, namely Mosely. He has promised to cover all running costs. The Government seems to velueve that someone else covering the bills makes the regulator independent. It doesn't.