Zero evidence Section 40 would gag and bankrupt the press
Channel: United Diversity
Date: 2019-11-29

There is zero evidence #Section40 would gag and bankrupt the press as this Digital Culture Media Sport Select Committee exchange between Julie Elliott and Matt Hancock makes clear.

As CPBF said:

    "In the run up to this important vote dozens of remarkably similar editorials in the local and national press made very spurious claims about how Leveson 2 and the implementation of Section 40 would somehow gag and bankrupt them.

    "These accounts all fail to mention one very important fact: both the cross-party Department for Cultue Media and Sport Select Committee and the wholly independent Press Recognition Panel directly asked the newspaper industry for evidence of these claims, but received none. Zilch. Nothing. Because no such evidence exists.

    "Indeed, the exact opposite of such claims are true: 126 academics from 35 different universities believe the measures ‘are needed to protect and foster good journalism in this country’ and ‘are certain that they pose no threat to the freedom of journalists to perform their vital democratic tasks, nor to the future viability of local news’.

    "The sheer scale of misrepresentation around everything to do with Leveson 2 and Section 40 provides as a clear demonstration as any of the urgent need for such measures. And yet our government has today chosen to break its promises and instead stand with the press barons while treating the public and thousands of innocent victims of press abuse with utter contempt."

#Leveson #Leveson2 #LevesonVote #Leveson2NOW


This video was originally posted on the CPBF YouTube channel but that disappeared when the associated G Suite account closed down. It is re-posted here at the request of former members of the CPBF National Council.