Government refuses to disclose legal opinion on press regulation

The government is suppressing official advice over press regulation, according to a report in the Sunday Telegraph.It says that the culture and media department (DCMS) is refusing to disclose a paper which "is thought" to set out advice on whether the government-sponsored royal charter breaches European law. Evidently, in the opinion of four QCs, the scheme violates article 10, concerning freedom of expression, of the European convention on human rights (ECHR).Though the DCMS has admitted the paper's existence to the Telegraph it has refused to release it despite a freedom of information (FoI) request.A legal opinion previously commissioned by newspaper publishers stated that the provisions to punish newspapers with "exemplary" damages if they refuse to join a new regulator sanctioned under the royal charter were incompatible with the ECHR.The Sunday Telegraph reports that its FoI request - submitted to the DCMS in October - asked for copies of all documents referring to article 10 of the ECHR in relation to the new charter.After a three-month delay, the DCMS disclosed two documents from the Daily Mail's owner, Associated Newspapers, which raised concerns about possible conflicts with the ECHR.But the department cited an FoI act exemption as the reason for refusing to disclose the third document: "premature disclosure" of the legal advice "might close off better options" for ministers and officials.And the Telegraph quotes a government spokesman as saying: "The government... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2014-01-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #raised concerns #human rights

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Soho Press Pushes Forward Under Hruska

Soho Press, an independent publisher with a full-time staff of nine, is made up of a band of fiercely loyal book lovers. The press was taken over by publisher Bronwen Hruska in 2010.Juliet Grames, Soho’s senior editor, said, about working with her: “For our first 25 years we were a quality... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-05-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Taunton Press Promotes EVP/CFO Tim Rahr to President

Enthusiast consumer publisher Taunton Press taps Tim Rahr as its new president. Rahr, who has served as executive vice president and chief financial officer with Taunton since 2005, succeeds Sue Roman. These changes are effective immediately. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2012-05-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Is Amazon morally wrong but legally right?

Amazon's policies may be unkind to many in the book industry, but that doesn't make them illegal. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-04-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Women’s Presses Tweak Their Business Models

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-04-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Government announces high street plans

The government has announced it is to accept all the 28 recommendations made in Mary Portas... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-03-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BA slams government for business rate inaction

The Booksellers Association has criticised the government for failing to tackle business rates... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-03-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Johnston Press CEO Signals Move to 'Digital First'

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[ Editor & Publisher | 2012-03-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pullman rewrites Grimm's Tales for Penguin Press

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[ The Bookseller | 2012-03-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The New Press: 20 Years of Publishing ‘in the Public Interest’

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-03-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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French government and SNE compromise on e-rights

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[ The Bookseller | 2012-03-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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MacLehose Press signs Stead and Bail

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[ The Bookseller | 2012-03-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-03-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-03-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Capra Press Revived

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-03-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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French government to digitize out-of-print 20th century works, plans ebook initiative

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[ Engadget | 2012-03-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2012-03-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2012-02-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-02-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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