It is clear that Leveson hasn’t got a clue about the internet or how it works. His pronouncements on the subject make him look foolish and undermine the rest of the inquiry report dubious though his recommendations are in the end. The fact that his internet rant took place in Australia is ironic in extremis considering the behaviour and consequence of a prank by two Oz based DJs last Tuesday.
In the light of the Royal baby hoax and suicide, the assumptions made about the results of the recommendations are looking foolish by the day. That is if the Hugh Grant farce tour doesn’t scupper it all first. Certainly with the news of the death of the nurse, Grant’s bleating looks even more pathetic than it has before.
Unless, of course, Leveson wants to turn the UK into the North Korea of modern communications, isolated from the rest of the world. Leveson’s authoritarian vision is looking more unrealistic by the day. It should worry us all that someone is such a position of respect can be so ignorant about the realities of modern day communications. It is a pipe dream and even proposing that such measures would work is a disservice to everyone and is a waste of time/money.
Ultimately existing laws needs to be used to go after egregious offenders but the entire population must lose their free expression rights because of the misdeeds of a few social media users and media outlets. You cannot legislate against stupidity and malice in speech.
Something should be done to prevent such issues in the future.
To my mind, the connection between the nurse’s death and the prank call has not been made. What is clear is the media circus in publicising, stirring blame, claim and counter claim has made a mountain out of a molehill.