Lee Gillespie-White

Ray,

As a former lawyer for the Sunday Times, at Bell, Dewar & Hall, I am really disturbed by this development in the case between the paper and the Health Minister.

This is not something to be analysed at a strictly legal level, i.e. the manner in which the paper got the health reports, but must be seen in a greater context. Journalists writing in the public interest must be protected from backlashes such as this, unless the government wants to be likened to dictatorships, which fear the independence of the media.

I hope the Government, which should not in any event be paying for the Health Minister’s legal action as it deals with a matter personal to the minister, will allow the matter to run its course in the civil court and not allow for the threat of criminal sanctions to intrude into the realm of free speech.

Yours,

Lee Gillespie-White

Ray Hartley

Lee – It would be great to have you around right now : A very interesting media law case is building.