Britain Revises Media Curbs

Britain’s press watchdog, the Press Complaints Commission, on Thursday outlined a new code of practice and urged the nation’s media to adopt the tougher voluntary guidelines. The revisions, prompted by the death of Princess Diana, cover the following five main points:

HARASSMENT

* Ban publication of pictures obtained through “persistent pursuit” or “unlawful behavior.”

* Make editors check how freelance material was obtained.

* Encourage photo agencies to follow the code of practice.

CHILDREN

* Ban media intrusion for young people unless there is an overriding public interest, or they consent to take part in a story.

* Ban payments to minors for stories.

* Ban stories about the private lives of children just because their parents are in the public eye.

PRIVACY

* Define private life to put health, home life and family relationships beyond the reach of intrusion unless there is an overriding public interest.

* Expand definition of “private place” to include places where people might rightly expect to be free from media attention.

PUBLIC INTEREST

* Increase the threshold of public interest which justifies intruding on someone’s privacy from “public interest” to “overriding public interest.”

INTRUSION INTO GRIEF

* Exercise discretion to protect families in grief or shock.