Privacy and Injunctions - Evidence - Parliament

Chris Blackhurst, editor, The Independent, Evgeny Lebedev, chairman, Independent Print Ltd
and Evening Standard Ltd, and Andrew Mullins, managing director, Evening Standard Ltd and
Independent Print Ltd—Oral evidence (QQ 1103–1154)
Evgeny Lebedev: If it is a body that is independent of the state and if there is a way
of ensuring that participation is not voluntary, I do not see why that would be. If the body
was set up by the state, then I would agree with what you are saying.
Chris Blackhurst: If you took the present situation to its extreme, every newspaper
could do what Express Newspapers has done and remove themselves from the PCC. Where
would that leave the PCC? Where would it leave voluntary regulation? I do not think that
that option should be available. I think that it destroys public trust. I see no harm in
compelling every newspaper—in some form; it can be done—to be part of the PCC or part
of this new regulatory body. After that, the new regulatory body can govern the industry,
but you have to bring everybody to the table. If we left the PCC, if The Times left the PCC, if
The Guardian left the PCC—if we all did what Richard Desmond has done, where would that
leave the PCC? He has just refused to take part.
Q1147 Baroness Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury: You set up the Journalism
Foundation. I know that you are going to Tunisia and will be training journalists there, but to
what extent will the work of the Foundation be integrated with, or supported by, The
Independent and the Evening Standard?
Evgeny Lebedev: The Foundation will certainly work with The Independent and the
Evening Standard, but it will also work with various other British newspapers, national
newspapers, local newspapers and international newspapers. As an illustration of that, in the
programme that we are doing in Tunisia we have two national editors: Alan Rusbridger of
The Guardian and James Harding of The Times. I know Chris was particularly upset that he
was not going.
Chris Blackhurst: It would be nice to get the sunshine.
Evgeny Lebedev: Those editors are going out to do the seminars. Hopefully that
illustrates that this is a Foundation that will work with all news organisations.
Q1148 Baroness Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury: What initiatives or training will
take place as far as privacy is concerned?
Evgeny Lebedev: Privacy is not the primary objective. That said, we have been
considering helping the Hacked Off campaign financially in achieving its objectives, which is
direct work towards privacy.
Q1149 Baroness Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury: How, specifically, will the
Foundation help to address the challenges we face in this country?
Evgeny Lebedev: It would have to be financial—working with small media
organisations that are struggling and small websites that are struggling—but it would also be
doing seminars, reports and conferences, looking at the issues and the problems that the
industry is facing and hopefully coming up with some solutions.
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