23rd McNae’s sees significant new laws

The 23rd edition of McNae’s Essential Law for Journalists reflects the fast-moving legal and regulatory landscape for the media, say its authors in a blog post. Juvenile anonymity in court cases, privacy and human trafficking are all areas with key changes that journalists must know about, they say – as well as journalists’ own rights. Read more

Spying on phone records breached human rights

The Metropolitan Police were found to have been within the rules when they used the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act to search journalists’ phone records to uncover secret sources. But a tribunal found the Act breaches the human rights of journalists, reported Press Gazette. Read more

New law will force police to ask judge to see media’ call records

The “incomprehensible” Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act, under which police secretly scoured journalists’ phone records without having to go before a judge, is to be replaced by new surveillance legislation, it was announced in June 2015. Read more

Mirror ‘cannot appeal’ £1.2m hacking pay-outs

Mirror Group Newspapers was told in June 2015 that it could not appeal against the highest damages ever awarded in privacy cases. Celebrities Sadie Frost, Paul Gascoigne and Shane Ritchie were among eight people subjected to prolonged phone hacking, Press Gazette reported. Read more

Media bodies back fight against ‘snooping’

Editors, media organisations, a lawyer and a former police chief have  supported Press Gazette’s Save Our Sources campaign, launched after the Metropolitan Police used the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act to search The Sun’s phone records in secret.

Read More:
‘Police are trying to criminalise whistle-blowers’ – petition update
Met Police ‘does not keep records’ of secret searches
Newspaper Society calls RIPA snooping ‘attack on press freedom’
Former police chief backs Save Our Sources campaign
Boris Johnson questioned over secret phones search
Chartered Institue of Journalists backs anti-snoop campaign
QC says use of RIPA for search is breach of human rights
Sun and Guardian editors and NUJ chief back campaign
Hacking reporter Nick Davis says journalists should ask RIPA tribunal if police have spied on them

 

‘Save our sources’ fight against police snooping

Press Gazette launched a campaign to protect news sources after revelations that the police considered it legal to secretly obtain journalists’ phone records. It said it breached the right to freedom of expression, which included the right to protect sources (September 2014). Read more

Nick Davies, who exposed phone hacking, said police should have gone before a judge to justify examining a Sun journalist’s phone records. He said journalists targeted by public authorities should check whether their records had been snooped on. Read more

Note: this story was uploaded to Media Law Matters before the implementation of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation directive, which toughens up data protection law, from May 2018. 

Police tracked Sun calls to unmask news sources

Police circumvented a law that protected journalists’ sources to secretly examine journalists’ phone records, using the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (Press Gazette, September 2014). Read more

Three whistleblowing officers were sacked as a result – despite escaping prosecution on public interest grounds. The Metropolitan Police defended the action. Read more

Liberty said unfettered use of the power was a worry for free speech. Read more