Newsquest Calls For Court Orders Online

The head of legal at Newsquest has suggested that an internet-based resource giving details of reporting restrictions would help journalists avoid breaching orders.

At a recent court case examining an accidental breach of an order, Simon Westrop said the courts have an obligation to ensure details of restrictions are made accessible to news providers, reports Press Gazette.

“If there were a central website where all court orders of this kind were lodged then it would be much more convenient for everybody and there would be no excuse for the press then in having missed an order, especially when you are hundreds of miles away from the court concerned,” suggested Westrop.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice commented that its court service agency has already discussed the possibility of an online database with the Society of Editors and is “investigating the options of setting up such a database so that the media can fund it”.