news


Legal action granted over dropping Leveson Two


Victims of press abuse have been given permission to take the government to court over its decision to scrap part two of the Leveson Inquiry into the culture, media and practice of the UK press. A judge has allowed the group, which includes


Kate and Gerry McCann, Christopher Jeffries, Crimewatch’s Jacqui Hames and Byline Media, to proceed with a judicial review challenging the decision. It will be heard in October. Grounds cited for the application included: • That there was a legitimate expectation of victims that Leveson Two would take place • That the government had acted


irrationally and failed to give reasons for its decision • That consultation responses were treated


unfairly and irrationally • That the Conservative Party’s manifesto


promise to cancel the inquiry was evidence of the government’s closed mind. The Leveson Inquiry had been planned as a


two-part process with the second part examining wrongdoing in the press and the police. This second part was suspended while criminal investigations were continuing into allegations of phone hacking. Matt Hancock, the culture secretary, said that the terms of reference for Leveson Two


“


had largely been achieved through the creation of a new press regulator and by changes to policing standards. Amendments to the Data Protection Bill


from MPs and peers were poised to resurrect a Leveson-style inquiry into the media, but these were narrowly voted down in May. The campaigning group Hacked Off is


crowdfunding to help fund the judicial review. Permission was not granted for a parallel


application for a judicial review of the government’s failure to start and intention to repeal section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act 2013. This would force newspapers not signed up to a royal charter regulator to pay both sides’ legal fees in privacy and libel battles, regardless of whether they won or lost.


Northern Ireland press faces review


Press standards in Northern Ireland are to be scrutinised by an independent reviewer, the government has announced. Culture secretary Matt Hancock said there would be a named person to


review the standards of the press in Northern Ireland, where some media laws are different from those in other parts of the UK. He said this would happen ‘as part of and alongside’ the four-year, UK-wide review. The union has called for full consultation on the terms of reference for a


proposed review of press standards in Northern Ireland. Séamus Dooley, assistant general secretary, said: “From an NUJ perspective,


there needs to be wide-ranging consultation on the terms of reference for any inquiry. The appointed person need not be a lawyer. There is a compelling case for a broad-ranging commission.”


NUJ Extra, the charity that gives assistance to current and former members of the union and their dependents who are in


need, has joined a scheme run by online retailer Amazon to bring in more funds. People who shop with


Amazon can buy from the domain smile.amazon.co.uk and Amazon will then make a small donation to a charity of the buyer’s choice


Grounds cited for the judicial review application included that the government had acted irrationally and failed to give reasons for its decision


inbrief...


NUMBERS GOING ON STRIKE HITS A LOW The number of workers who went on strike in the UK last year fell to the lowest level since 1893, when records began. Some 33,000 workers were involved in industrial disputes, down from 154,000 in 2016. The previous record low was in 2015, when 81,000 workers went on strike. There have been only four other occasions in the past 120 years when fewer than 100,000 employees went on strike.


NEW YORKER STAFF SIGN UP TO A UNION Staff at the New Yorker magazine have organised with the NewsGuild union of New York. The NewsGuild said nearly 90 per cent of staff had joined the union. In the spring, staff at the Chicago Tribune formed a union, which was recognised by the paper’s owners.


GREIG SUCCEEDS DACRE AT THE MAIL Geordie Greig, the Mail on Sunday editor, is to succeed Paul Dacre as editor of the Daily Mail when Dacre steps down later this year. Dacre has been editor of the Daily Mail for 26 years and will become chairman of Associated Newspapers, which is owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust.


JEREMY VINE GOES TO CHANNEL 5 Radio and TV presenter Jeremy Vine will replace Matthew Wright as the host of Channel 5’s weekday current affairs programme. Wright said that he was leaving The Wright Stuff after 18 years for new challenges.


NUJ Extra joins Amazon charity scheme


for items that are eligible. The retailer will donate


0.5 per cent of the net purchase price of selected goods.


STUFF MAGAZINE SOLD TO KELSEY Gadget magazine Stuff has been sold to independent publisher Kelsey Media. Haymarket Media Group, which has owned Stuff since 1999, said that the brand needed a new home where it can ‘really achieve its potential’ after changes to the company’s strategic focus.


theJournalist | 05


MALCOLM PARK EDITORIAL / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO


JEFF GILBERT / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO


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