Oxford University Press has acquired the rights to McNae’s Essential Law for Journalists from Butterworths in the 50th year since the first edition.
OUP will publish the 18th edition in July. The first edition, published in 1954, was edited by Leonard McNae, editor of the Press Association’s special reporting service.
The last 11 editions, published in the 25 years since 1979, have been the work of Tom Welsh, editor of Media Lawyer, and Walter Greenwood, law consultant to Trinity Mirror Training, Newcastle.
For the next edition they will be joined by David Banks, a former night editor of the Liverpool Daily Post, who is now head of short course training for Trinity Mirror and teaches law on the group’s Foundation Course in Journalism.
Joanne Butcher, NCTJ chief executive, said: “Essential Law has been an indispensable reference point for scores of trainees, journalists and editors. We are pleased that such a prestigious and highly-regarded publisher has acquired the title.”
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