A decision on the newspaper industry's proposals for press regulation is expected soon amid reports its own charter has been rejected.
The sub-committee of the Privy Council looking at the plans is meeting again today ahead of the Council's own summit on Wednesday.
Danny Alexander, who co-chairs the sub-committee, insisted a final decision had not yet been made but sources suggested it was close.
The newspaper industry is braced for bad news amid claims politicians have concluded its plans are "flawed".
The Chief Secretary to the Treasury told Sky News that the committee, which met on Monday, was still "completing its deliberations".
Danny Alexander: No final decision "There are a few i's to be dotted and t's to be crossed. There are also, as it is a committee of the Privy Council, very careful processes that we have to go through," he said.
"I am not going to comment on where we are with that. I don't think that would be appropriate or fair on the various participants involved.
"The Privy Council meets tomorrow and we will have to have our recommendations in good time for that meeting but right now we are still finalising the decision."
A spokesman for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport also said the panel was continuing to consider the industry's proposals.
"There is no deadline or timetable for those considerations. They will continue until they reach a decision," the spokesman said.
BBC's Newsnight reported on Monday that the sub-committee of four Tories and two Lib Dems had rejected the newspaper industry's charter.
Members of the committee have apparently decided the plan did not address the issues raised by Lord Justice Leveson's inquiry into press ethics.
However, in a separate report, The Guardian said coalition ministers were working to stop Wednesday's Privy Council meeting turning into a final rejection of the industry plan.
It reported they were seeking a compromise around the industry proposals and the original royal charter backed by the three main political parties.
The industry put forward its owns plans after arguing that the royal charter agreed by politicians, and backed by campaign group Hacked Off, was too restrictive.
Tory sources say the party is "digging its heels in" to delay the final decision until the end of this month.
The Leveson inquiry reported last November There are apparently concerns that the row between Ed Miliband and the Daily Mail has created a febrile atmosphere and could make it look like the press is being punished.
The party also believes the press plan has raised some issues that should be worked into the cross-party proposals, the sources said.
Hacked Off welcomed the reports about the rejection but added that it was "alarmed" by the prospect of further delay before the Prime Minister formally approves the charter.
The Sun's associate editor Trevor Kavanagh said a rejection would not be a shock because there had been "fairly clear clues" it might happen.
"I think it has to be seen as a great victory for the forces of oppression of a free press - Hacked Off in particular - and the politicians who went along for the ride," he said.
Media commentator Steve Hewlett suggested newspapers could launch legal action if their proposals are sidelined.
"People I have spoken to are furious and are now considering whether there might be a legal challenge to this decision by the Privy Council," he said.
Chris Blackhurst, group content editor of The Independent and its sister titles, warned that either charter would "cost all newspapers a lot more money".
"It's well known that the newspaper industry is in trouble," he said. "Unfortunately, what's happened is that all the positions are completely polarised.
"That's also true of Hacked Off, it's true of the politicians, it's true of the press, and we are all in our trenches and we are all chucking grenades at each other and we are not really very far apart."
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
Press Regulation: Newspapers Expect Bad News
Dengan url
http://gagalcoba.blogspot.com/2013/10/press-regulation-newspapers-expect-bad.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
Press Regulation: Newspapers Expect Bad News
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
Press Regulation: Newspapers Expect Bad News
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar