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Fighting for journalism and profitable news media
New Mail legal fight over £35m Prince Harry costs | Allison Pearson libel win
Plus why reporting of Ann Widdecombe murder pushed legal boundaries
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Good afternoon from the team at Press Gazette on Thursday, 30 July.
⚖️ Prince Harry and his fellow privacy claimants against the publisher of the Daily Mail face being up to £18m out of pocket depending on the outcome of a costs hearing currently taking place at the High Court.
This is the shortfall between what their insurance premium covers and the total costs bill run up by Associated Newspapers.
After the claimants issued their bombshell press release four years ago Associated had no option but to fight this case to a conclusion. Harry and others alleged phone-hacking, phone-tapping, bribing police officers and commissioning burglary to order.
This was far worse than the allegations that shut down the News of the World.
As the case neared trial it became clear it was hopeless for the claimants when their main witness – Gavin Burrows – recanted his testimony.
Making such damaging claims on the basis of flimsy evidence from an unreliable source was incredibly irresponsible in the first place. Stubbornly pursuing it to the end of an 11-week trial was the claimants’ own decision.
Now they should pay the full price for doing so.
Why should Associated Newspapers’ ability to invest in journalism be impacted by a misguided legal action which, as the publisher said yesterday, was really a vehicle for Prince Harry and Hacked Off’s campaign for Leveson 2?
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🚓 Telegraph columnist Allison Pearson has received an apology and substantial damages from Essex police and crime commissioner Roger Hirst over statements he made relating to her investigation over potentially inciting racial hatred with a post on X.
Police found she had no case to answer. And Hirst has now apologised for implying her guilt whilst a criminal investigation was ongoing.
It’s a timely reminder of the huge care which must be taken with reporting and commentary while criminal proceedings are ongoing.
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🚨 Any journalism student studying media law may have been perplexed by the reporting that followed the killing of politician Ann Widdecombe.
And we discuss why reporting of a pre-trial appearance for Joshua Kerry went far beyond normal restrictions that apply.
Overall, the law around contempt of court has become a massive grey area. It has been so long since anyone was prosecuted that publishers feel emboldened to go beyond the letter of the law when it comes to potentially prejudicial reporting.
A review of the law is currently ongoing and greater clarity will be welcome.
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