In the case of Baby Peter, a court order prohibiting the disclosure of the individuals involved in the case was respected by traditional print and broadcast media. The same order was unashamedly breached online, with personal details of the individuals in question posted on blogs, chatrooms and websites. We shall be discussing the ways in which our contempt laws are being eroded by online access to new archives, the rise of citizen journalism and the subsequent impact of external prejudicial materials on cases. These issues are becoming increasingly pervasive for journalists and practitioners, and we look forward to hearing the panel’s views and the audience’s questions on the matter.

 

Michael Mansfield QC is one on Britain’s best-known barristers, revered for championing the ‘underdog’ and for adopting cases with wider political implications, most notably, the inquests of Diana, Princess of Wales and Jean Charles de Menezes, and the Bloody Sunday inquiry. We are delighted Michael will be chairing the session. His experiences as a legal practitioner - alongside the insights of our esteemed panellists – promise for a lively and provocative evening.

 

Contact dorothy@themediasociety.co.uk to reserve your place.