NOVEMBER 2012
Day 2037: 29 November 2012 Thursday, Madeleine Beth McCann
Updates 29 November,
2012
I welcome Lord Leveson's report today and hope it will mark the
start of a new era for our press in which it treats those in the news
responsibly, with care and consideration.
Needless to say, more time
will be needed to read, digest and understand all the implications of the
report but my initial impressions are positive (assuming implementation).
Some important points are worth labouring, especially when there is
an element of scaremongering (intentional or otherwise) through the use of
misleading language:
We, and the other core participant victims, are all totally in
favour of freedom of speech. Nobody is advocating a loss of this basic human
right. But freedom of speech does not
equate to freedom to slander.
None of us want, or is requesting, a government-controlled press.
We want a free press but one which is
responsible, accountable and independently regulated. This is not a big
ask. The press can do a lot of good -we’ve experienced this. But it can also
destroy lives -and we’ve had a more than a fair share of that too. Any
professional organisation or industry which has the potential to do harm should
be accountable for its actions. Why should the media be exempt from this?
Ensuring responsible journalism and accountability is paramount.
It is important to keep in mind what the Leveson Inquiry is about.
We gave evidence to the inquiry last year because we don’t want anyone else to suffer as we, our family and the search
for our missing daughter did at the hands of our press. It is this need to prevent
such harm to others in the future that has driven the core participant victims
to assist the inquiry. We need a system such as that recommended by Lord
Leveson to have any hope of achieving this.
Legislative
underpinning is not statutory regulation and implementation of such is quite
some way from ‘crossing the Rubicon’.
I hope the Prime Minister, like the other party leaders, will
embrace Lord Leveson’s report and act swiftly to ensure activation of his
recommendations within an acceptable and clearly defined time-scale.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Lord Leveson and the
legal team for their colossal efforts throughout the inquiry to date. I truly
hope it will lead to an historic and more importantly, crucial achievement for
all in our society.
Kate
