Week 6: Reporting restrictions Flashcards
Reporting from parliament?
Although the public and press are normally admitted to meetings, there is no legal right to admission.
Part of the principle of absolute privilege is the power of both the Lords and Commons to regulate their own procedure, which allows for certain proceedings to be held in secret.
In regard to select committee reports, it is a breach of privilege to report on the contents before they have been laid in Parliament (this is so that MPs have an opportunity to read the contents prior to publication).
However, as noted above, the courts may determine the scope of absolute privilege
What can you report on?
The main chambers of the House of Commons and the House of Lords
Various committees which are heard in public such as select committees
Report on published bills
Report on press releases published by the government and opposition parties
Meetings that take place by the government and opposition parties such as press conferences and briefings
You are attending a council licensing committee meeting where an application for a new nightclub in your newspaper’s town is being discussed. The committee chairman asks you and members of the public to leave the room while councillors discuss objections to the application from nearby residents.
(a)
Explain the rights of the media to attend the licensing meeting and to see the relevant agenda and reports?
(a) Journalists are expected to be allowed to stay in council, committee, scrutiny and sub-committee meetings
However, you can be excluded if an item to be discussed is either confidential or exempt.
A confidential item would be classified as such if it contained secret information supplied by government departments or prohibited for legal reasons.
Exempt items could contain information about particular individuals; financial or business affairs of particular people; or legal proceedings.
A vote should be passed to exclude the media and public from discussion of an exempt item.
A local authority is obliged to publish an agenda, minutes of previous meetings and background papers five days before a public meeting and minutes and reports should be available six years after the meeting.
Confidential and exempt material may be excluded from the papers.
A local authority has a duty to make other material available to the public (and media) such as spending over £500, the register of members’ interest, its annual accounts, powers delegated to them and the names and addresses of councillors.
You are attending a council licensing committee meeting where an application for a new nightclub in your newspaper’s town is being discussed. The committee chairman asks you and members of the public to leave the room while councillors discuss objections to the application from nearby residents.
(b)
What action would you take in response to the committee chairman’s request?
Candidates should outline a course of action that recognises that the information being discussed is unlikely to be confidential or exempt and, if it was exempt, the committee should have taken a vote to exclude the media and public.
Action could include challenging the committee chairman at the time of the request; raising the issue with committee secretary/clerk at or after the meeting; raising the issue with the editor/news editor.
