Lord Mancroft’s Right of Privacy Bill, which was given a second reading in the Lords last week in the face of contrary advice from the Government, is no more a measure designed to censor the Press than are the laws of defamation or of criminal and obscene libel. But if offensive invasions of privacy, which are not deemed to be of “reasonable public interest”, become the subject of actions for damages in the courts, a restriction on freedom of speech in England would be introduced; this should be approached with care.
The freedom of the Press is no different in essence from the freedom of the individual to speak his mind and comment on matters of public and even private interest. But the power of the press, with its ability to disseminate widely harmful and hurtful reports, does call for particular restraint and a sense of responsibility.
The difficult question is whether legislation of the kind now proposed may not be unduly restrictive upon proper Press reporting… It is evident that much more thoughtful discussions are needed before the legislature can safely proceed with Lord Mancroft’s measure. The best way to curb the idle and prurient curiosity of some newspapers might be for the citizen to refer his complaints to an independent tribunal, or newspaper Ombudsman, rather than to invoke the bigger stick of the judicial process.
