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With the inquest into the death of Diana, Princess of Wales
and Dodi Fayed and Prince William and Kate Middleton's "is
it on or off" relationship in the spotlight, the issue
of celebrities' rights to preserve their privacy is once again
in the public eye. The fourth edition of Media Law by Peter
Carey, Peter Coles, Nick Armstrong and Duncan Lamont, is an
invaluable resource, and provides a clear and concise introduction
to the law relating to print, broadcast and electronic media.
Published Autumn 2007.
There have been significant changes to media law since the
third edition, so this update was essential. For example,
London is the libel capital of the world because of its favourable
legal position for claimants and the generous awards by the
courts. However in the 2006 case of Kate Moss vs Channel 5
it was confirmed that the defence of justification in a libel
action could be proved by using evidence of events that occurred
subsequently. In 2001 it was reported Kate Moss passed out
due to alleged excess cocaine consumption. Channel 5 was granted
permission to rely on post-broadcast evidence of Moss' public
apology regarding cocaine abuse allegations that had appeared
in the Daily Mirror.
There can be little doubt that there is now a privacy law
in the UK, especially after the Data Protection Acts of 1984
and 1998. Recent cases have confirmed this.
Charles Russell "puts together an amazing team"-
Duncan Lamont, Nick Armstrong, Peter Carey and Peter Coles,
and it "stands out for its high quality lawyers and breathtaking
client connections". All four are listed as experts in
their fields in Chambers and the Legal 500 directories. The
group advise on issues involving defamation, privacy and reputation
management and offers pre-publication advice to Channel 4
news, ITV news, ITN television and radio.
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