The Leveson Inquiry: Journalism ethics and press freedom

Abstract

The Leveson Inquiry into the Culture, Practice and Ethics of the Press invited a number of academics to address it on the subject of how ethics are taught on journalism courses at their universities. The evidence given on this subject was generally critical of the National Council for the Training of Journalists, and this evidence is resumed here. The article then goes on to address a related, but broader, issue posed by the inquiry, namely whether press freedom brings with it any obligations or responsibilities, particularly in respect of the democratic functions which the press is supposed to fulfill. The article argues that press freedom should consist of considerably more than the freedom of press owners, managers and editors to use their papers as they wish, and that the freedom of readers to access a wide range of trustworthy news and views should also be included in any truly democratic notion of press freedom.