How abusive lawsuits are used to silence journalists

Today, media outlets across the country are joining a Day of Action to call for the UK Government to include anti-SLAPP protections in the forthcoming King's Speech

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OURNALISTS do not become journalists to prepare for court hearings. They join newsrooms, submit Freedom of Information requests, ask questions, report from council hearings and courts and speak to as many people as they can because they have a story to tell.

They also know that local communities do better when there is more information in the public domain, not less.

Journalism is vital for local democracy to hold power in check and give a voice to the community, ensuring no one is beyond scrutiny.

However, unchecked wealth and influence has a powerful ally in its quest to prevent questions being asked and sheltering itself from uncomfortable attention: the British justice system.

Abusive lawsuits, sometimes called SLAPPs (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation), allow those with money to threaten costly and time-intensive court action to prevent reporting being made public or to force published work from the public eye.

Abusive lawsuits are not genuine attempts to address flaws in the journalist’s work. Indeed many journalists are sued just for asking questions or requesting comment from someone who has not even read the piece before deciding to sue them.