{"links":{"self":"https://petition.parliament.uk/archived/petitions/42617.json"},"data":{"type":"archived-petition","id":42617,"parliament":{"period":"2010-2015","government":"Conservative – Liberal Democrat coalition","dissolution_at":"2015-03-30T23:59:59.000+01:00","response_threshold":10000,"debate_threshold":100000},"attributes":{"action":"Reject Lord Justice Leveson's recommendation to introduce statutory regulation of the press","background":null,"additional_details":"We call upon the Government to reject any kind of statutory regulation of the print media, or 'statutory underpinning' of any self-regulatory body.\r\n\r\nA free press is an absolute necessity of any democratic society. Government, rightly, got out of the business of regulating the press in 1695. History demonstrates that once taken away, freedom is very rarely regained but is instead gradually encroached upon further.\r\n\r\nLord Leveson's enquiry highlighted not any regulatory failures but failures of law enforcement. The press abuses heard by Lord Leveson were almost all regarding actions already against the law.\r\n\r\nA free press is the cornerstone of a free society. Any form of statutory regulation would be a retrograde step that would put this very principle at risk.","committee_note":null,"state":"rejected","signature_count":1,"created_at":"2012-12-01T11:07:58.000Z","updated_at":"2017-06-21T15:12:00.409Z","rejected_at":"2017-06-21T15:12:00.406Z","opened_at":null,"closed_at":null,"moderation_threshold_reached_at":"2012-12-01T11:07:58.000Z","response_threshold_reached_at":null,"government_response_at":null,"debate_threshold_reached_at":null,"debate_scheduled_on":null,"scheduled_debate_date":null,"debate_outcome_at":null,"rejection":{"code":"duplicate","details":null},"government_response":null,"debate":null,"departments":[],"topics":[]}}}