Ms. Justice Leonie Reynolds handed down a decision yesterday in the case of Reilly -v- Iconic Newspapers Ltd which is very helpful for media organisations reporting on public hearings. S17 of the Defamation Act 2009 affords absolute privilege to 'fair and accurate' court reports. While the written judgment is awaited, following four days in the High Court, it was decided that there was no requirement for the plaintiff to investigate further into what had been said at the hearing before publishing the court report once the report is a fair and accurate report.
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