Legal Limits to Press Freedom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Legal Limits to Press Freedom - Essay ExampleThe paper chose this base on the belief that the duty to seclusion and right to fair trial are inter-related in a particular way the right to privacy of a defendant in a court case is violated twice over if news reporters run commentaries that tend to prejudge the case. In fact, these citizens rights are lumped together as primary concerns of the European Convention on Human Rights, which exhorts member states to adopt measures that would balance the right of the public to be informed and the right to privacy and to fair and unimpeded administration of justice (5). Trial by publicity and media intrusion into the private affairs of citizens are common practices in UK, where tabloid news media had become so licentious that the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) was reorganized and strengthened in 1991 to dealwith media abuses on a self-regulatory basis. On invasion of privacy, hardly a week passes by without a movie celebrity, politician or royal line suing a media organization in London for such intrusion. Violation of the 1981 Contempt of butterfly Act is also rampant.This paper focuses its attention on the perceived conundrum regarding UK medias frequent attempt to cross the line between press freedom and the right of individuals to privacy and to fair trial. ... with media abuses on a self-regulatory basis. On invasion of privacy, hardly a week passes by without a movie celebrity, politician or royalty suing a media organization in London for such intrusion. Violation of the 1981 Contempt of Court Act is also rampant. This paper focuses its attention on the perceived problem regarding UK medias frequent attempt to cross the line between press freedom and the right of individuals to privacy and to fair trial. Consequently, the essay looks into the recorded cases of specific media violations of these two citizens rights, as well as of laws that address those abuses. A significant portion of the paper will illum ine the outcomes of the relevant cases after they were brought to court as a civil wrong or criminal complaint. Some of the questions the rest of the essay will seek answers to Have there been any UK media men penalized for such offenses What was the line of defense use by those favored by the courts What damage does violation of these media laws do on the lives of private citizens Does faithful observance of media laws affect and limit the performance of media men in unearthing the truth and safeguarding public interest 2. Media PracticeIn UK, government control of media exists only in matters relating to the Official Secrets Act and violation of the existing libel laws. foreign of these two areas, media practice is practically free of any kind of restraints, guided only by a Code of Practice set by the PCC infra a climate of self-regulation. There are 16 provisos in the Code, at least half(prenominal) of which concern peoples right to privacy while the other half relate to med ia coverage of court cases. The clauses involving privacy intrusion include harassment,