Thoughts from an active pensioner who is now somewhat past his Biblical "Use-by date"

"Why just be difficult, when with a little more effort you can be bloody impossible?"



Thursday 29 November 2012

Waiting for Leveson

The media today is full of what Leveson might say with Uncle Tom Cobley and all giving their views, so why shouldn't I have my say?
I feel that that the media should simply abide by the laws of the country, and that if they break these laws they should be prosecuted. Phone hacking (actually voice-mail hacking, there has been no suggestions of intercepted conversations) is illegal, so if it is taking place, it is a police matter and should be investigated. If the media finds a loop-hole in the law and manages to do something that the public find objectionable, the government should consider whether legislation is needed which should apply to everyone, not just the media.
The problem has not been the lack of laws, but the failure of the authorities to enforce them

One area where I think their might be room for change is to introduce the equivalent of the Small Claims Court to deal with small libel and slander cases, so that the ordinary person could pursue action if they wish.

Otherwise I'm opposed to increased regulation which will cost us all money and will, I suggest, merely hasten the demise of printed newspapers and magazines in favour of the internet, where the enforcement of rules will be difficult, particularly if the servers are based in  a foreign country or distribution is via "the cloud".

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