Fwd: LM NEWS: Statement from Mick Hume/03-14-00

Jim heartfield jim at heartfield.demon.co.uk
Tue Mar 14 12:55:07 PST 2000


In message <p0431010eb4f428f9b6e2@[166.84.250.86]>, Doug Henwood <dhenwood at panix.com> writes
>[James - what was the verdict? any comments? - Doug]

The verdict was that LM libelled ITN.

In the evidence, ITN journalists accepted that the barbed wire through which the film was taken in fact surrounded them, not the refugees, the main point of the article. However, Justice Morland in his summing up insisted that whether that was the case or not was not what was being judged, but whether LM unfairly suggested that ITN were liars.

It is of course a peculiarity of British libel law that there is no public interest defence of fair comment on public figures, such as exists in the US. As long as that is the case, then there is no freedom of speech in Britain.

Whether LM will be bankrupted is still unclear. You can contribute to the 'Off the Fence Fund' care of Informinc, Signet House, 49-51 Farringdon Road, London EC1M 3JP.

-- Jim heartfield



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