The education secretary has spoken out against regulating the press at the Leveson Inquiry.
Michael Gove MP said today free speech means “some people are going to get offended”. He has previously claimed the inquiry is having a chilling effect on the press, since it was announced last summer.
Gove said he believes the law of the land is sufficient to deal with offending behaviour by newspapers.
He said: “I have a prior belief that we should use existing laws of the land and that individuals and institutions should be judged fairly on the basis of the existing laws of the land.”
The minister also said he thought it was a consequence of free speech that some people would sometimes be offended.
He told the inquiry: “I don’t think any of us can accept that behaviour necessarily, but there are a variety of sanctions. There is social ostracism, disapproval. There is the penalty that someone pays who chooses to use a commercial outlet to publish that which is inappropriate or distasteful, but by definition, free speech doesn’t mean anything unless some people are going to be offended some of the time.”
He added: “I’m unashamedly on the side of those who say that we should think very carefully before legislation and regulation because the cry ‘something must be done’ often leads to people doing something which isn’t always wise.”....read more
http://hackinginquiry.org/news/leveson-has-heated-argument-with-michael-gove-over-press-regulation/
Michael Gove MP said today free speech means “some people are going to get offended”. He has previously claimed the inquiry is having a chilling effect on the press, since it was announced last summer.
Gove said he believes the law of the land is sufficient to deal with offending behaviour by newspapers.
He said: “I have a prior belief that we should use existing laws of the land and that individuals and institutions should be judged fairly on the basis of the existing laws of the land.”
The minister also said he thought it was a consequence of free speech that some people would sometimes be offended.
He told the inquiry: “I don’t think any of us can accept that behaviour necessarily, but there are a variety of sanctions. There is social ostracism, disapproval. There is the penalty that someone pays who chooses to use a commercial outlet to publish that which is inappropriate or distasteful, but by definition, free speech doesn’t mean anything unless some people are going to be offended some of the time.”
He added: “I’m unashamedly on the side of those who say that we should think very carefully before legislation and regulation because the cry ‘something must be done’ often leads to people doing something which isn’t always wise.”....read more
http://hackinginquiry.org/news/leveson-has-heated-argument-with-michael-gove-over-press-regulation/
