Regulation of the press in the UK

There has been a goodly amount of upset in the press here in the United Kingdom over the past couple of years. The UK has a tradition of mostly responsible journalism by some titles (The Times, The Guardian, The Telegraph, referred to as “broadsheets”) and some scurrilous journalism by other titles (The Sun, the News of the World, the Mirror, the Mail, referred to as “tabloids” or “red tops”). This has resulted in some of the most important scoops of this generation, such as the exposé of the way the Members of Parliament were using their expenses system to claim back more than their fair share of our tax money. It has also resulted in heartbreak, terror, and indignation when people have had their mobile phones hacked, been photographed at very long distance by paparazzi, or been falsely accused of crimes that they had not committed.

( A long post about regulation of the press is behind the cut. )