New legislation proposed by Lord Justice Leveson would be “potentially dangerous” to Britain’s 300-year-old tradition of press freedom, the New York Times has warned.
In a leader, America’s newspaper of record said statutory underpinning of a new watchdog body would be “a big step in the wrong direction” for a country whose press already operates in a “harsh” legal environment.
It notes: “Millions of Britons were justifiably outraged over last year’s serial revelations of illegal and unethical behaviour by the powerful and influential tabloid press in Britain. But the regulatory remedies proposed [by Leveson] seem misplaced, excessive and potentially dangerous to Britain’s centuries-old traditions of a press free from government regulation. » | Gordon Rayner, Chief Reporter | Friday, November 30, 2012
