Is the fear of legal action creating a chilling effect for investigative journalism?
Campaigners want British laws changed so libel tourists stay away The following correction was printed in the Guardian’s Corrections and clarifications column, Tuesday 16 June 2009. John Kampfner is the chief executive of the freedom of expression group Index on Censorship. We mistakenly referred to him as the group’s chairman in the article below. As the row over the salaries of onscreen talent made headlines last week, the BBC quietly came to an out-of-court settlement with one of the UK’s best-known fertility doctors. The case received little attention and yet goes to the heart of an important battle over libel in this country. The BBC faces a payout of about 1m after agreeing to settle a libel action brought by Dr Mohammed Taranissi over a Panorama programme, IVF Undercover, broadcast in January 2007. Taranissi claimed the report, which relied on undercover filming at his Assisted Reproduction and Gynaecology Centre clinic, made defamatory allegations about his controversial but ef
