2011 is set to be the most important year for press freedom in the UK in a generation.
It is the year that Britain’s outdated, backward and downright unjust libel system looks likely be reformed.
The Libel Reform Bill is set to go out to consultation in March and a new act could be in place by the end of 2012.
In the January edition we carry a special report on why reform of the libel system is so important for UK journalists and what it all could mean: including an exclusive feature by Index on Censorship’s John Kampfner and interviews with ‘libel martys’ doctor Peter Wilmshurst and freelance journalist Hardeep Singh.
Other highlights of the January 2011 edition of Press Gazette magazine include:
A high profile journalism academic writes an anonymous feature blowing the whistle on what he sees as the great journalism degrees rip-off.
Magazines columnist Lori Miles lifts the lid on the sometimes shady world of contract publishing: “No journalism is needed – just a PR girl or brand manager telling you what to write.”
We ask the experts to pick out the big stories and themes of 2011 and publish a handy news diary of the ten biggest events of the year, complete with contacts and weblinks.
Clare Sambrook tells us the story behind her award-winning campaign to abolish the detention of the children of asylum seekers.
And Development Hell’s David Hepworth explains why he does not believe in magazine iPad apps, yet, and why he can’t believe every journalist doesn’t blog.
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