This post is largely directed at those readers who are not my students but my students should also take a look at the issues (and then think about signing!). Second, apologies for going slightly off topic but given you are reading this you are probably someone interested in reading blogs, online journals and/or academic thought and might/should be interested in this campaign. The campaign is the
Libel Reform Campaign and I hope you'll join me and consider signing their petition
here. It will also generate an email to your local MP which I hope you'll also consider sending (don't forget to add your address at the top). The Libel Reform Campaign explain their case below:
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Freedom to criticise and question, in strong terms and without malice, is the cornerstone of argument and debate, whether in scholarly journals, on websites, in newspapers or elsewhere. Our current libel laws inhibit debate and stifle free expression. They discourage writers from tackling important subjects and thereby deny us the right to read about them.
The law is so biased towards claimants and so hostile to writers that London has become known as the libel capital of the world. The rich and powerful bring cases to London on the flimsiest grounds (libel tourism), because they know that 90% of cases are won by claimants. Libel laws intended to protect individual reputation are being exploited to suppress fair comment and criticism.
The cost of a libel trial is often in excess of £1 million and 140 times more expensive than libel cases in mainland Europe; publishers (and individual journalists, authors, academics, performers and blog-writers) cannot risk such extortionate costs, which means that they are forced to back down, withdraw and apologise for material they believe is true, fair and important to the public.
The English PEN/Index on Censorship report has shown that there is an urgent need to amend the law to provide a stronger, wider and more accessible public interest defence. Sense About Science has shown that the threat of libel action leads to self-censorship in scientific and medical writing.
We the undersigned, in England and beyond, urge politicians to support a bill for major reforms of the English libel laws now, in the interests of fairness, the public interest and free speech. |
This post is largely directed at those readers who are not my students but my students should also take a look at the issues (and then think about signing!). Second, apologies for going slightly off topic but given you are reading this you are probably someone interested in reading blogs, online journals and/or academic thought and might/should be interested in this campaign. The campaign is the Libel Reform Campaign and I hope you'll join me and consider signing their petition here. It will also generate an email to your local MP which I hope you'll also consider sending (don't forget to add your address at the top). The Libel Reform Campaign explain their case below:
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