Jack Straw’s move is welcome, but cosmetic surgery won’t be enough to end this international embarrassment, writes Jo Glanville
(more…)
Originally published in the Sunday Times
When another country introduces laws to protect its citizens from your courts, you have a problem. When that country happens to be your closest ally in times of war and peace, you have a crisis. That is the state of English libel law.
Both houses of Congress are considering bills that, if passed as expected, will prevent US courts from enforcing libel judgments issued overseas if the content would not be considered defamatory under American law.
It was against this backdrop that Index on Censorship, the anti-censorship organisation, and English PEN, a group that supports persecuted writers, embarked on a year-long inquiry into the state of our legislation. Our report, launched on November 10, created a storm of interest here and across the Atlantic, with each of our 10 proposals closely scrutinised.
(more…)
The Justice Secretary is reported to have pledged to make English defamation laws fairer. Index on Censorship reports
(more…)
Lord Mandelson seems hellbent on stifling online creativity, says Bill Thompson
(more…)