Backlash over proposed press law intensifies

A backlash against the UK’s new system of press regulation intensified as media groups debated whether to sign up to a new watchdog or mount a rebellion.

Lawyers said the government plans contained flaws and were vulnerable to legal challenge, as some newspaper groups hinted they may shun the state-sanctioned watchdog and instead set up their own regulator. Benedict Brogan, the Daily Telegraph’s deputy editor, said in an article on Tuesday that the biggest groups appeared to be drifting towards setting up a breakaway watchdog. Daily Mail Group, Telegraph Media Group and News International have said they are taking “high-level legal advice” over the government’s plans to create a press regulatory system backed by legislation. Local newspapers, which were not part of the phone-hacking scandal that prompted the regulatory overhaul, revealed for the first time that they were “fiercely opposed” to the government plans. Media groups are worried about the cost of signing up to the new regulator, which will be funded by its members and will offer a free arbitration service to the public. They fear they will be inundated with complaints that are frivolous but expensive to deal with.