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the Telegraph Press Regulation Royal Charter

Government accused of withholding Royal Charter press regulation legal advice from public

By Angela Haggerty, Reporter

January 20, 2014 | 2 min read

The UK government has been accused of withholding legal advice on the compatibility of the Royal Charter on press regulation with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

Request: The government has been accused of withholding information

A Freedom of Information (FoI) request submitted by the Daily Telegraph for any documents relating to article 10 of the ECHR was blocked by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The department released two documents from Daily Mail owner Associated Newspapers expressing concerns about ECHR conflicts, but refused to release another document said to contain legal advice.

Critics of the Royal Charter claim the legislation enables state interference in the way the press is run and is a threat to freedom of expression.

A number of publishers have begun setting up an alternative system of press regulation that will replace the Press Complaints Commission (PCC), the Independent Press Standards Organisation. However, they face the threat of being punished by ‘exemplary damages’ following any legal action if they do not sign up to the government’s Royal Charter regulation system, something publishers say is at odds with European law.

In response to the FoI request from the Telegraph, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport stated: “There needs to be free space in which it is possible to consider options without fear their proposals will be misrepresented.

“After careful consideration of the competing interests, we conclude that the public interest in favour of maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosure.”

the Telegraph Press Regulation Royal Charter

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