What is the future of British journalism and where does the Leveson report leave the Cameron government?
The British newspaper industry, the raucous and often outrageous tabloid culture that produced the phone-hacking scandal at Rupert Murdoch's News of the World, may never be the same. That is if the recommendations made by Brian Leveson, the judge who headed the inquiry into the press and politics in the UK, are acted upon.
Leveson wants the government to draw up Britain's first press law since the 17th century and create a new independent body to regulate newspapers, one that unlike the current Press Complaints Commission, actually has some teeth. The lobbying over the report, which began before it was made public, has now moved into overdrive.
Prime Minister David Cameron, whose own cozy relationship with the Murdoch-owned press was revealed by the inquiry he called for, now seems to be siding with media moguls who do not want the new press rules enshrined in law. That could well test the relationship Cameron has with the coalition partner his Conservative Party needs to maintain its grip on power. On this week's News Divide: What does the Leveson report really mean for the British press, politics and the public?
While Great Briton's press laws maybe considered archaic there countries which are considered free and democratic yet, laws have been enacted which not only restricts freedom the press and expression people have been imprisoned for the various offences of simply reporting the truth, to criticism, to writing satire and for the use of their mother language.
Turkey; a NATO member has laws on the books which prevent Kurd's from writing, speaking or singing in Kurdish. Sri Lanka had similar laws which were applied to the Tamil minority.
Korea, Singapore and Malaysia have National Security laws which are used to stifle descent through the courts.
Once a country starts down the path of press regulation how is it be for these laws and regulations become authoritarian and are no longer used to control the media but the public at large?
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