A Royal Charter for the Press: How does it measure up to regulation overseas?
Lara Fielden
Fielden_Royal-Charter.pdf (498.02 KB)
A Royal Charter for the Press: How does it measure up to regulation overseas?

In this policy brief, published in conjunction with the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, Lara Fielden examines the three key qualities Lord Justice Leveson recommended for future press regulation – that it is  ‘voluntary’, ‘independent’, and ‘self-regulatory’. These characteristics, which form the basis of the government’s draft Royal Charter, are explored within the instructive context of differing approaches to press regulation in a range of democracies overseas.

 

The author finds that any blurring of the boundaries between standards upheld by a code and rights upheld by the law will be a significant departure from regulatory systems elsewhere, but acknowledges that publicly recognizing and independently safeguarding voluntary ethical press standards represents a huge step forward in placing the public interest at the heart of regulation.

 

ALSO OF INTEREST
Policy Brief
Water Rights and Stewardship
To what extent are water rights subject to restrictions based on ideas of stewardship? In England and Wales, the right to water has traditionally been conceived as a property right, favouring existing landholders and neglecting responsibilities towards stewardship, or protecting the water environment from ecological harm.
 
But there is much debate about the extent to which property ought to be subject to inherent stewardship obligations or whether there is already support for this, theoretically or in practice.
Download
Policy Brief
Rights, Interests, and the Water Resource: Crossing the Rubicon?

 

Download
Policy Brief
The Purposes, Organization, and Supervision of Regulators: Implications for Accountability and Liability
As recent events in the financial sector have demonstrated, the action or inaction of regulators can profoundly affect lives and livelihoods.
Download
Policy Brief
Leveson Reforms, Editorial Freedom, and Press Discussion of Ordinary Members of the Public

Paul Wragg of the University of Leeds assesses the impact of Lord Justice Leveson’s recommendations for press regulation on ordinary members of the public.

 

With reference to cases such as the treatment of the transgender primary school teacher Lucy Meadows by the Daily Mail, he argues that any future regulator will struggle to achieve any meaningful change to the ‘cultural indifference to individual privacy and dignity’ shown by sections of the press, given Leveson’s failure to clearly define, yet insistence on preserving, press partisanship. 

Download