Top judge praises press for exposing ‘priceless ‘scandals

The value of newspapers revealing public scandals is priceless and no new regulation in the wake of the phone-hacking scandal should risk diluting the power of the press, the most senior judge in England and Wales said yesterday.

The Lord Chief Justice Lord Judge admitted he may come to regret addressing the issue of press regulation in public, but said he wanted to defend the independence of the press as a “constitutional necessity”.

While the press could behave criminally on occasions or with “scandalous cruelty and unfairness”, other sections of the press could reveal major public scandals.

“My own view is that the public value of the second is priceless,” he said.

“Whatever means of regulation are designed to reduce the occasions of unacceptable behaviour by elements of the press, they must not simultaneously, even if accidentally, diminish or dilute the ability and power of the press to reveal and highlight true public scandals or misconduct.”

Delivering the keynote speech at the Justice human rights law conference yesterday, Lord Judge said: “An independent press, or one or other of its constituents, will also from time to time behave if not criminally, with scandalous cruelty and unfairness, leaving victims stranded in a welter of public contempt and hatred or uncovenanted distress.

“But on the very same day one of the other constituent parts of the independent press may reveal a public scandal.”

Turning to the form of any future regulation, Lord Judge said any problems with the current Press Complaints Commission (PCC) should not exclude a system of self-regulation in the future.

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