Leveson Inquiry

Lord Justice Leveson has made it very clear that the press has failed in its responsibilities to the public. The ethical code of conduct has been continually ignored, public interest has been damaged and elements of the press have wreaked havoc on the lives of innocent people. He has recommended that the press have a genuinely independent self-regulation, so that they may uphold their standards with obligations to the public. Also, importantly, he says this regulator needs to be supported by statute to protect victims.

In my opinion, I believe that Lord Leveson is correct in saying that the press should be regulated but only to a certain extent. For example, there is news that the public would like to know about such as exposure of criminal activities that could possibly relate to them, and these kinds of things may not be printed in the press in the future. However, e-emedia is a platform that allows people to publish whatever they like online and also it is of easy access. This could cause moral panics in the UK because of the prohibition from the government that forces them to publish 'sensitive' information on the internet.