Newspapers 'wreaked havoc in the lives of innocent people'
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Newspapers “wreaked havoc in the lives of innocent people,” Lord Leveson said today as he warned the abuses of the press must be ended once and for all.
Making a statement after publication of his report Lord Leveson said that while the newspapers had done “great” work and campaigns that, with a few honourable exceptions, “the UK press has not performed that vital role in the case of its own power.”
He said that the power and influence of the press carried with it responsibilities to behave in the public interest.
“Unfortunately, as the evidence has shown beyond doubt, on too many occasions, those responsibilities (along with the Editors’ Code, which the press wrote and promoted) have simply been ignored. This has damaged the public interest, caused real hardship and, also on occasion, wreaked havoc in the lives of innocent people.”
He said what was required was “a genuinely independent and effective system of self-regulation of standards, with obligations to the public interest.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments