Journalists shouldn’t sue each other

LFB MEMBER Paddy French, speaking at the November Branch meeting, told how he had pulled out of a libel action brought against him by BBC journalist John Ware. The trial had gone ahead without Paddy, who told the meeting he couldn't “say very much in advance of a judgement”. As we went to press, he told the Freelance there was still “no news that I can share”.

Ware sued Paddy over his pamphlet Is the BBC Anti-Labour? It was expected that Ware would be awarded damages, costs and an injunction to prevent Paddy repeating the assertions that led to the libel trial. Paddy believes he is the first journalist to be sued by a journalist working for the BBC over a critique of one of their programmes.

Crime correspondent Duncan Campbell was in court for the hearing. Duncan told the meeting that Ware had said that the existing convention that journalists don't sue each other is now considered "whiskery nostalgia" from the days before social media.

There must be other ways of settling journalistic disputes than exorbitant libel cases, observed Duncan. While the NUJ cannot back an individual member being sued for libel, the Branch can bring a motion on the case – and on the subject of journalists suing each other in general – to Delegate Meeting (DM), the NUJ's conference next year. Introducing the motion, Duncan said “there are other ways to resolve disputes.” Tim Dawson, LFB Welfare Officer and National Executive Council member, expressed regret that Ware felt the only mechanism for redress open to him was to seek punitive damages in the libel courts. The meeting voted overwhelmingly in favour of the motion, which will now go to DM to be voted on.

3 January 2023 We corrected the forename of the person who is suing Paddy French.
6 February 2023 We corrected who it was who spoke of "whiskery nostalgia".

John Ware wins £90,000 libel damages... Press Gazette