Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (): We are pleased to inform
the House that HM Government is today formally announcing the
launch of a Taskforce dedicated to tackling Strategic Lawsuits
Against Public Participation, known as SLAPPs, which target
journalists.
SLAPPs seek to silence investigative journalists, writers and
campaigners, often on unfounded defamation and privacy grounds
which prevent the publication of information in the public
interest. This abuse of the legal system is used by the wealthy
to intimidate and financially exhaust opponents, threatening them
with extreme costs for defending a claim and therefore
undermining the reporting of important public interest issues.
The Government recognises the need to protect defendants from
abusive litigation whilst ensuring access to justice for properly
conducted claims.
The new Taskforce, which will have its inaugural meeting today,
11 September, will sit within the framework of the National
Committee for the Safety of Journalists, which was set up to
ensure that journalists operating in the UK can do so free from
violence or threats. It will bring together key stakeholders from
across government, civil society groups, representative bodies
for journalists, and legal services regulators and stakeholders
to develop a non-legislative response to SLAPPs targeting
journalists. Its work will complement incoming legislation
tackling economic-crime linked SLAPPs which cover up to 70% of
such cases brought to UK courts. The changes, introduced in the
Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill, will allow SLAPPs
to be thrown out by judges more quickly and place a cap on the
costs for those targeted, making them less effective at
strong-arming reporters into abandoning their stories. The
Government has also committed to legislating to tackle SLAPPs
beyond economic crime as soon as parliamentary time allows.
The establishment of the Taskforce will be key in driving forward
the Government’s agenda to make sure that appropriate protections
exist for journalists who are tirelessly working to investigate
and publish stories in the public interest, holding power to
account and supporting our strong democratic tradition. Its first
priority will be to establish an ambitious plan of activity to
deliver its objectives over a fixed, 12-month period after which
its future will be reassessed. It will be led by DCMS along with
the Ministry of Justice and its inauguration is a key milestone
in our roadmap for bolstering the safety of journalists in the
UK.
This is an important development in ensuring that journalists in
the UK can continue to serve the vital democratic function of
holding the powerful to account.
