Privacy and the Press

Joshua Rozenberg

292 pages | 234x156mm

978-0-19-925056-1 | Hardback | 11 March 2004

Also available as: Paperback

Price: £44.95

This item is printed to order. Items which are printed to order are normally despatched and charged within 5-10 days.

Add to Wish List

Written by a highly respected journalist and commentator
Addresses the topical and controversial issue of how far the law should protect individuals' privacy
Presents legal issues and arguments about freedom of expression very accessibly

Do we need a law of privacy? Should judges be allowed to stop us reading about a footballer's adultery or enjoying pictures of a film star's wedding? Is a super-model's cocaine addiction something that she should be allowed to keep private? And aren't we entitled to walk down the street without having our most intimate activities recorded on security cameras and broadcast to the world?

These questions have divided not only the country but also our most senior judges. Drawing a line between justified and unjustified intrusion places great stresses on our legal traditions: some judges favour stretching existing laws to help deserving victims, whilst others feel it would be more honest simply to recognize privacy as a new human right. The latter approach creates further problems: shouldn't it be up to Parliament alone to create such a right? And what about free speech: don't the newspapers and the public have rights too?

The issues raised are often highly emotive. Newspapers are not allowed to identify Thompson and Venables, the young men who murdered two-year-old James Bulger, because their lives would be in danger. Nobody may identify Mary Bell, who also killed when she was a child, even though there was no such risk. Will paedophiles be the next to demand lifelong anonymity?

Steering a course through this minefield requires a grasp of legal concepts and principles and an understanding of how the law develops. This book explores how the English legal system has had to blend old laws on confidentiality with modern human rights law in order to deal with these problematic issues. Written for non-specialists by one of Britain's best known legal journalists, this book provides a uniquely accessible guide to the legal aspects of this topical debate.

Readership: General readers interested in understanding the law and how the law balances the right to privacy with the freedom of the press.

""Rozenberg's book provides a solid foundation for understanding the relevent legal issues and presents the law in a manner sophisticated enough for lawyers, yet accessible enough for a wider audience"" - King's College Law Journal, Tanya Aplin

"...a very good book, which once you start you cannot put down... the research is meticulous and the book, whilst entertaining and readable, completely accurate. ...I recommend this book to lawyers, journalists, politicians and those seeking to protect their privacy." - Jennifer McDermott, European Human Rights Law Review

"... learned and entertaining survey of the whole field of media laws ... This survey is valuable, as well as entertaining." - Oxford Today: The University Magazine

"... this book by Joshua Rozenberg admirably puts the case for what his fellow journalists would regard as a sensible balance between freedom from intrusion and freedom of speech - between privacy and the press." - Media Lawyer

"... provides a review of the topic that is both satisfying and entertaining." - Media Lawyer

"Joshua Rozenberg explains the tangled legal complexities with clarity and in a lively style ... The arguments are finely balanced ... The debate will continue and be better informed as a result of this book." - Ham & High (Hampstead & Highgate Express)

"This book shines a clear and welcome light through the undergrowth of legal concepts and principles, to which has been added the recent human rights law. It is written for anyone who wants to understand just where we are today in an area of the law that is constantly shifting. This debate can only really be understood in a legal context, to which this book provides a clear and valuable guide." - Anna Ford, New Statesman.

"witty, learned discourse. A chief pleasure of the book is its style." - David Wurizel, Counsel

"both satisfying and entertaining." - Editory, Media Lawyer

"This very clear and extremely well-written book will be essential reading for anyone interested in the law as it affects what can be published in the press." - Alasdair Palmer, Sunday Telegraph

"Rozenberg has written a clear, accessible account for a more general reader. -Alan Rusbridger, The Guardian Review"

The specification in this catalogue, including without limitation price, format, extent, number of illustrations, and month of publication, was as accurate as possible at the time the catalogue was compiled. Occasionally, due to the nature of some contractual restrictions, we are unable to ship a specific product to a particular territory. Jacket images are provisional and liable to change before publication.

Subscribe to RSS feeds

Privacy and the Press

Share