View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

  1. Media Law
March 10, 2009

Max Mosley could still sue News of the World for libel

By Paul McNally

Motorsport boss Max Mosley has said he will decide in the coming months whether to sue the News of the World for libel following its ‘orgy’ story last year.

The FIA president was giving evidence this morning to MPs on the cross-party culture media and sport select committee, which is investigating press standards.

Mosley, who won a £60,000 privacy payout from the News International tabloid last year, said he chose to sue on privacy grounds because it would be quicker than a full libel trial, which he was told could take up to two years.

But he said he believed he still had a case to sue for libel over a follow-up story published by the News of the World a week after its first story.

And he added that, if he decided not to stand for re-election as FIA president this summer and had the spare time, he would “relish” the opportunity to sue the paper.

“I think it would be difficult to sue for libel for the first edition which was about the Nazi allegation. The court might feel that I was overdoing it,” he said.

“Where I could sue for libel was the second edition. They gave me five pages in the second Sunday saying I was a liar.

Content from our partners
MHP Group's 30 To Watch awards for young journalists open for entries
How PA Media is helping newspapers make the digital transition
Publishing on the open web is broken, how generative AI could help fix it

“That clearly is defamatory and the question arises about whether to sue them for that.

“That is under consideration. I will make my mind up definitely by the end of July.”

He added: “There might be a perception that I was overdoing it. It would seem almost as if I was money-grabbing.”

Mosley was asked by MPs why he used the legal system instead of the self-regulatory system administered by the Press Complaints Commission.

“It is absurd to have a body which is run by the journalists themselves,” Mosley said of the PCC.

“It’s like putting the mafia in charge of the local police station.”

He added: “There has to be somebody independent looking at it.”

Mosley described the News of the World as “purveyors of soft porn” and described the tabloid newspaper trade as a whole as “disgusting”.

“They try to pretend that they publish serious articles about serious things,” he said.

“It would be very interesting to know how many people whose privacy has been destroyed by the News of the World have committed suicide. I think it has happened.

“It is the most terrible thing what they do. The whole trade is disgusting.”

The motorsport boss also revealed that, despite winning his privacy action, he had still been left out of pocket.

The paper was ordered to pay £420,000 of his legal costs but his total bill came to £500,000.

And he added: “If I lost my privacy action I would have ended up with a total bill of about £1m.”

Mosley told the committee there should be no restrictions on investigative journalism.

He said: “If I were doing something wrong within the FIA or doing something wrong to do with Formula One, the press would have every right to publish it. That’s what papers are for.

“But they shouldn’t confuse that with wishing to publish things about someone’s sex life.”

Topics in this article :

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

Select and enter your email address Weekly insight into the big strategic issues affecting the future of the news industry. Essential reading for media leaders every Thursday. Your morning brew of news about the world of news from Press Gazette and elsewhere in the media. Sent at around 10am UK time. Our weekly does of strategic insight about the future of news media aimed at US readers. A fortnightly update from the front-line of news and advertising. Aimed at marketers and those involved in the advertising industry.
  • Business owner/co-owner
  • CEO
  • COO
  • CFO
  • CTO
  • Chairperson
  • Non-Exec Director
  • Other C-Suite
  • Managing Director
  • President/Partner
  • Senior Executive/SVP or Corporate VP or equivalent
  • Director or equivalent
  • Group or Senior Manager
  • Head of Department/Function
  • Manager
  • Non-manager
  • Retired
  • Other
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thanks for subscribing.

Websites in our network