Local Media Lawyer At National Event
Local media lawyer Tony Jaffa from Foot Anstey is speaking alongside Justice Secretary Jack Straw at a one-day national conference to discuss the Government’s planned changes to libel law and the opening up of family courts to the press.
Justice Secretary Straw will be the key note speaker at the event on 11th February. He will talk about his announcement last year that family courts will no longer be a complete no go area for journalists and the public but subject to the same restrictions as youth courts.
Tony Jaffa, who advises newspapers and publishers throughout the country on editorial law, is the only lawyer giving voice at national and governmental levels to the concerns of the local press.
He said “The reporting of the Family Courts is an important reform, which will benefit the public’s understanding of the childcare system.
“However, this is just one of a raft of issues currently being debated both inside and outside Government.”
“The Government needs to review the current law relating to publications on the internet, which have not kept pace with technology. This affects both businesses’ and individuals’ reputations.”
The Ministry of Justice recently announced a review of the whole area of libel but stressed the Government’s commitment to freedom of expression, and in particular, expressed concern about the disproportionate cost of defamation proceedings.
Tony Jaffa added “At the conference, I will be asking the Government to act urgently to change the rules governing the way libel actions are conducted, so as to eliminate the current bias against publishers and create a level playing field.
”They also need to revise the rules governing legal fees, so as to prevent certain lawyers from claiming legal costs from publishers of up to £800 per hour.”
Tony Jaffa’s invitation to speak alongside Jack Straw follows hard on the heels of his submission to the inquiry currently being carried out by the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee.
In his submission, Tony explained that the Press Complaints Commission is an effective, speedy, and inexpensive organisation to ensure press standards are maintained.
He also believes the ‘no win no fee’ agreements are actually contrary to the public interest and the law of privacy is being developed by the Judges in a way that prevents the regional press from reporting matters which are of the utmost importance to local people.
Published 23/01/2009
