Home  Attitudes & Opinions My letter to the Editors of McNae's Essential Law for Journalists and the cover letter to heads of v |
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My letter to the Editors of McNae's Essential Law for Journalists and the cover letter to heads of v |
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Monday, 03 October 2005 |
I felt you would be interested in seeing copies of my letter to the Editors of McNae as well as the cover letter to copies sent to the national paper Editors and TV/Radio bosses.
30/9/2005
I enclose a copy of my letter to the Editors of McNae's Essential Law for Journalists.
Whilst I'm flattered to have an entire segment devoted to me, I felt it important to correct the numerous inaccuracies, rather than to sue them for libel.
As we all know, since the decision in the Roman Polanski/Vanity Fair case it has rightly become unwise for anyone to publish false or unproven allegations against anyone - even those convicted (wrongly in my case) of other crimes.
Especially if such claims have already been ordered abandoned or thrown out by an Old Bailey judge.
And I'm sure you will agree that such publication becomes malicious when a wrongly convicted person is continuing the appeal process.
Quite apart from the moral obligation for supporting crusades against miscarriages of justice, it is far better journalism to unearth and expose such injustices.
I'm sure that can be considered an Essential Principle of Decent Journalism.
Best wishes,
JONATHAN KING
To Tom Welsh and Walter Greenwood
Editors: McNae's Essential Law For Journalists
18th Edition 2005: Oxford University Press
30/9/2005
Dear Tom Welsh and Walter Greenwood,
May I please correct several of the points in the section on
LIBEL - A REMINDER in your Libel and Defamation chapter?
I assume you agree with me that one of the most important areas in journalism is the miscarriage of justice aspect. A good investigative writer can overturn such appalling judicial mistakes as the Guildford Four and the Birmingham Six, Stephen Downing, Sally Clark, Robert Brown, Angela Cannings, Paul Blackburn, Basil Williams Rigby and numerous others whose appeals were granted - as well as those such as Susan May and myself, still battling the system.
I have never
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