Freedom of speech

Geoffrey Robertson writes persuasively on the need to protect press freedom. However, he is misguided in both the targets of his ire—Ed Miliband and Ivan Lewis, who called for a public inquiry—and in his conclusion.

Writing in the Guardian in July, Robertson himself was eloquent on the need for an “urgent” public inquiry: “There must be an examination of the culture of the tabloid press, the bribery and corruption… the total failure of self regulation… the inadequate training of journalists,” he said. But now his proposed remedy, of “simply leaving [media regulation] to the law,” would be even worse than what we have now. Why? Because it is a solution available only to the super rich. Costs in libel cases can run into hundreds of thousands of pounds: according to a 2008 report by Oxford University’s Centre for Socio-Legal Studies, the costs in England are around 140