HC overturns BSA privacy decision
Sunday, March 16th, 2008Last August, the BSA upheld a complaint from Dr Stephanie du Fresne, the medical director of a mental health clinic, about an interview with one of her committed patients conducted without the clinic’s knowledge. TV3 News interviewed the woman about her electric shock treatment, which she didn’t want. The story revealed that she was bipolar […]
Highlights from Press Council forum
Sunday, March 16th, 2008Top 10 most interesting points from Thursday’s public forum, “The Press and the Right to Know Under Siege”, where the speakers were Law Commissioner John Burrows QC and the chairs of the Australian and NZ Press Councils, Professor Ken McKinnon and Barry Paterson QC: Barry Paterson, a retired High Court judge, “hated TV in the […]
Another backward step for the Bill of Rights
Saturday, March 15th, 2008The best measure of a country’s commitment to free speech is its willingness to protect speech it doesn’t like. At the very least, a respect for free speech involves ensuring that any restrictions are clearly justifiable. That’s how our Bill of Rights works. The Supreme Court passed this test in R v Brooker, using the […]
Press Council bouquet
Wednesday, March 12th, 2008I’ve been hard on the Press Council lately. I tend to blog about the stuff I disagree with. But usually, I think the members of the Press Council get it right. In the latest bunch of decisions, they ping the Northern Outlook for misreporting local council committee hearings. One mistake was put right in a later story, without reference to […]
Website in contempt?
Sunday, March 9th, 2008Today’s Sunday Star-Times has a story about a website set up by the daughter of a Zimbabwean immigrant accused of sexually violating killing his niece. The website contains detailed commentary about the life of the family and the events surrounding the death. The niece was HIV positive, but the Crown’s case is that this did not […]
Injunction continued again
Friday, March 7th, 2008The Hawkes’ Bay Health Board injunction has been continued by consent until after the report is finalised and made public, slated for 17 March. The parties can bring it back before the court before then if circumstances change. I think this is probably a savvy move by Fairfax and APN. It will blunten the “we’re […]
Press Council upholds Bill English complaint
Friday, March 7th, 2008Remember the kurfuffle about Bill English’s 14-year-old son posting homophobic remarks on Bebo? The Press Council says that the Southland Times’ coverage breached the paper’s duty to respect privacy of “person, space and personal information” and to exercise “particular care and consideration when reporting on and about children and young people.” The Southland Times’ front-page story was […]
Name suppression not automatic in diversion cases
Thursday, March 6th, 2008Fairfax has won a significant victory in the Court of Appeal, which has ruled that people who have been given diversion should not automatically have their names suppressed. Justice Wild had held that they should, absent “compelling reasons” or “very special circumstances”. That effectively upended the usual presumption of openness. The Court of Appeal said: … […]
Banned book: get your copy now
Tuesday, March 4th, 2008Anne Hunt’s book Broken Silence, which I think I’m right to say is the only book ever to be banned and ordered to be pulped by NZ’s High Court, is now available for you to buy. The ban was overturned last year in a case I argued in the Court of Appeal (Hunt v A […]
I’m trivia!
Monday, March 3rd, 2008Today’s DomPost 5-minute quiz: 5. Victoria University academic Steven Price is an authority in which field of law? (Quick correction: I’m a barrister rather than an academic these days.)
« Previous Entries Next Entries »