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Govt to 'work closely' with press on data protection

The Government is set to work more closely with the regional press industry over data protection and press freedom.

Home Secretary David Blunkett has promised “more effective consultation”.

He told the Newspaper Society, the industry body for local newspapers: “I have been reflecting further on [your director] David Newell’s suggestion that the data protection review prompted by the Soham case should include consultation with media interests.

“I have asked Julia Simpson, director of communications at the Home Office, to write to you about this to see how we can bring in the Society’s views on data protection more effectively, whether that is through the Association of Chief Police Officers Media Advisory Group, or the Working Group considering data protection, or some other means.”

Society director David Newell had previously highlighted the media’s data protection concerns at a Newspaper Conference lunch for David Blunkett in January

He followed this up with further representations to the Home Secretary on media issues – ranging from data protection to terrorism.

Meanwhile, editors’ responses to the Local Newspaper Week press freedom survey have stressed how public services try to block enquiries and obstruct reporting by claiming, rightly or wrongly, that data protection controls prevent the disclosure of the information requested.

Legal affairs spokeswoman for the Society, Santha Rasaiah, said: “We hope that the government, police and others will take a constructive approach and actually address the real concerns of the media about clamp downs on release of information to the public.”

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