Settlement maybe, but Carole Malone still gets away with it.
Posted: August 10, 2009 Filed under: Journalism | Tags: Carole Malone, Cherie Blair, Defamation, Libel, News of the World 2 Comments »Cherie Blair settled a libel dispute with the News of the World today when she was handed a cash payout, as well as a public apology in the NoW paper. The libel in question was committed in a column written by Carole Malone. She had made several assertions in her article:
Malone’s column made a number of false claims, including that Blair had arrived with hordes of secuity men, only made the appearance at the event for publicity purposes and gave “inhuman” responses about the Human Rights Act when questioned in a panel discussion.
Malone’s style of column is questionable. See here and here for two of her more dubious articles being torn apart. Fair call, the News of the World apologised, made a retraction and payed damages (although, it should have never reached this far in the first place. It shouldn’t have been published). However, there still seems to be an injustice here. Where’s Malone’s direct apology? Where’s her retraction? After all, the NoW may have published it, but Malone was the one making entirely false claims. Effectively, unless the NoW enforced internal sanctions on Malone, or made her pay for part of the damages, she’s got away scott free. Why should columnists be allowed to hide behind walls of their employer’s cash?
As long as they have a powerful publication behind them, they’re free to libel whoever they want.
The UK Libel Laws have taken another step into the abyss and could signal the end of Free Speech. A UK based media club, The Groucho Club which is owned by a billion pound corporation ‘Graphite Capital’ have launched a one of kind High Court action for a pre publishing test case for libel against Tyrone D Murphy, the author of an exposé book about the club. The book has not been completed yet and the case seems to be based on what could be written and not what has been written. The writer is defending this action in person as the costs are astronomical and I am supporting this writer and his cause. All writers and journalists should also support him as he is in the forefront of the battle for free speech.
What do you make of this type of case where a legal action can be taken against a writer of a book that has not been written yet? This action is certainly a threat against all writers and journalists
http://www.g-book.co.uk is the book web site
Well, on the basis of your link and comment, it sounds crazy to try to pre-empt libel – surely that’s contradictory in terms? Libel is only libel once written, so how could they possibly prosecute?
Has this been covered anywhere?
I would have thought it will be dropped quickly, or thrown out at the first opportunity. It may just be an attempt to scare the author into not pursuing the book any further.
I guess you just have to follow this closely to see what happens, but I can’t imagine the prosecutors will win…it would be an absolute atrocity if they do.