THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Duchess of Cornwall yesterday launched an outspoken defence of freedom of the press in Britain, describing it as a cornerstone of democracy.In a surprise intervention, set against the backdrop of the debate over privacy and the courts, she said that she “passionately” believed in freedom of expression and insisted that no aspect of society should be free from scrutiny.
She said that the right to "question, debate and criticise" everything should be a matter of national pride.
But she warned against allowing political correctness to restrict free reporting, saying it was “as severe a form of censorship as any”.
Her comments came a day after a landmark European Court of Human Rights ruling which threw out an attempt by Max Mosley, the former motor racing boss, to introduce new restrictions on the press to protect privacy.
Mr Mosley, whose taste for sadomasochistic sessions with prostitutes was exposed by a Sunday tabloid, wanted the court to force the media to warn the subjects of exposés in advance.
It came as a series of disclosures on the Twitter website, naming celebrities said to be protected by draconian gagging orders, threw the wider system of privacy injunctions into chaos and led to calls for parliament to reassess the law.
Addressing editors and journalists at the London Press Club Awards, the Duchess, whose relationship with the Prince of Wales attracted highly critical media coverage in the past, acknowledged that she might seem an unlikely ally for the press. » | John Bingham | Wednesday, May 11, 2011
