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LATEST NEWS & EVENTS MoJ urges public to air views on libel laws  The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is urging people to voice their opinions on planned changes to litigation and dispute resolution rules for libel cases. A consultation on the proposals to shake up libel laws ends on June 10th, and the MoJ said it is keen to hear from people. The draft bill includes provision for a new public interest defence for defamation cases, as well as measures to reduce "libel tourism", in which overseas claims are brought in English courts. In addition, the government intends to introduce a requirement for claimants to demonstrate substantial harm, or likely substantial harm, to their reputation before they can sue. A single publication rule, meaning repeat claims for libel cannot be made every time a publication is accessed on the internet, is also to be brought in. Justice minister Lord McNally said libel laws are "out of date" and have "placed a chilling effect on the work of scientists, academics and investigative journalists" in recent years. "But we must ensure that when we reform the law, we strike the correct balance between freedom of expression on the one hand, and protection of reputation on the other," he added. Posted by Alex McLean 
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