2002 has seen the Daily Mirror proclaimed Newspaper of the Year. The paper has also been in the vanguard of the development of privacy with it defending the notable cases of Flitcroft1, Campbell2 and Theakston3. Angus Deayton's name could also be added to the list. While privacy was in its infancy at the beginning of 2001 following Douglas -v- Hello!4 and Venables -v- News Group Newspapers Limited5, this year's crop of privacy cases and, in particular, Flitcroft, has seen the law surrounding privacy settling down: adopting the Theakston beer slogan, it's acquiring 'real taste, real body'.
The Lord Chief Justice in Flitcroft set out his guidelines for judges to follow (as summarised later). These helpfully pull together the strands that have emerged since Douglas. Editors and their advisers will be well advised to remind themselves of the guidelines when considering a story to which they apply or when threatened with an injunction.
