Green | October 13, 2009 | 9 comments

Gag lifted on Guardian reporting parliament

source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/oct/13/guardian-gagged-parliamentary-question

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AnnieMole
The Guardian received a stunning gag order today forbidding the paper from reporting on a Parliamentary debate.

For the first time in the paper's history, it was forbidden from telling its readers why the paper couldn't report on parliament. The paper said: "Legal obstacles, which cannot be identified, involve proceedings, which cannot be mentioned, on behalf of a client who must remain secret."

Obviously the fact that it was gagged went round the internet like wildfire with the "Streisand effect" taking over - an attempt to censor or remove a piece of information backfires, causing the information to be widely publicized.

Twitter is buzzing with this news and it emerged that it's in reference to the Trafigura oil dumping scandal along the Ivory Coast. http://is.gd/4h4lz

The Guardian has vowed urgently to go to court to overturn the gag on its reporting.

UPDATE - The gag order was lifted - see discussion in the comments below
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9 comments // Gag lifted on Guardian reporting parliament

  • tomofnorthcal
  • larrysnotes
  • Mr_Ben
  • MovieMuser
    • 0
      MovieMuser  
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    • The whole Guardian gagging scandal raises vital questions over the freedom of the press. However in recent years it seems we've forgotten exactly why press freedom is important. The linked article takes a look at how the film All The President's Men shows exactly what an important role the press has played, which has been undermined in recent years. It questions if in today's world, whether the Watergate scandal would have been uncovered at all, and looks at how the attempt to gag the Guardian's reporting on parliament is just the latest in a worrying trend that has massively weakened those providing us with important news. http://www.moviemuser.co.uk/Features/1643/Movie-A-Day-All-The-Presidents-Men.asp...

    • 2 years ago
  • AnnieMole
    • 0
      AnnieMole  
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    • Thanks stupidy - those are both really helpful links.

      Here's the MP's question which was subject to the gagging order:

      "To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of legislation to protect (a) whistleblowers and (b) press freedom following the injunctions obtained in the High Court by (i) Barclays and Freshfields solicitors on 19 March 2009 on the publication of internal Barclays reports documenting alleged tax avoidance schemes and (ii) Trafigura and Carter-Ruck solicitors on 11 September 2009 on the publication of the Minton report on the alleged dumping of toxic waste in the Ivory Coast, commissioned by Trafigura."

    • 2 years ago
  • stupidy
  • AnnieMole
  • stupidy
    • 0
      stupidy  
    • Image

    • These poor people, their skin looks so sore, these oil company execs who offered £1000 per victim should be strung up by the balls.

    • 2 years ago
  • super_ally
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