The British press has ignored its own code of conduct on “far too many occasions over the last decade,” causing “real hardship” and sometimes wreaking “havoc with the lives of innocent people,” Leveson said.
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The British press should be regulated by an independent group supported by law and with the power to fine, a judge recommended Thursday in a long-awaited report sparked by a phone-hacking scandal at Rupert Murdoch’s News of the World tabloid.
Judge Brian Leveson said he was not recommending that Parliament set up a press regulator, but that the industry should create its own, which would be backed by legislation to make sure it meets certain standards of independence and effectiveness.
Prime Minister David Cameron, who asked the judge to prepare the report, told Parliament after its release that he agrees with Leveson’s recommendations for a new, strong, independent press regulator.
He said the onus is now on the press to implement the report’s recommendations, “and implement them radically.”
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