, Columnist
U.K. Judges Are Helping the Next Robert Maxwell
Powerful people under investigation for criminal activity have just been given a path to keep their names out of print.
Scary things are happening here.
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It is always convenient for editors to pontificate about press freedom when they lose court cases. However, the U.K. Supreme Court's decision in Bloomberg LP v. ZXC is something that should frighten every decent journalist in Britain — as well as anybody who cares about justice, the conduct of capitalism or freedom of speech.
In Britain, we are stumbling toward a system in which tabloids can still peek into celebrities' bedrooms but serious journalists cannot report on potential wrongdoing at public companies by powerful people.