Chapter 19 Self-test questions

. Under the Contempt of Court Act 1981 media organisations should avoid publishing material about an active case which creates:

A knowing violation of impartiality

A substantial risk of serious prejudice

A significant risk of bias

A possibility of preconception

. A editor who did not know, or had no reason to believe, that the material they published would be in breach of the Contempt of Court Act will be exempt from any offence if they didn't intend to publish it.

True

False

. Under the Contempt of Court Act 1981 a case is 'active' when:

A police appeal for help has been made

Police have named someone who is helping with inquiries

Police have surrounded the house of someone with the intent to make an arrest

An arrest has been made

. Once a defendant is sentenced for a crime, it's safe for a media organisation to publish details of the defendant's previous convictions.

True

False

. If an appeal is launched a case becomes active again. Why should the media not be concerned about what to publish once an appeal is launched?

After a conviction the Contempt of Court Act does not apply

An appeal is only heard by a judge, not a jury, so there is no risk of prejudice

After a conviction the public will already be prejudiced against the defendant

An appeal is not covered by the Contempt of Court Act

. If a warrant has been issued for an arrest and the police give out the name and description of a suspect, with a warning that he may be violent, can the media safely publish this?

Yes

No

. It is the responsibility of the police to inform journalists when an arrest has been made and so the case is active.

True

False

. Which of the following pieces of information is safe to publish about a defendant once a case is active:

Their previous convictions

That they are currently facing a speeding fine

Witness statements showing that they were at the crime scene

That they deny the charges

. Section 4 of the 1981 Act says that a person cannot be found guilty of breaching the Act's strict liability rule in respect of a report of a court hearing, if the report is of a hearing held in public, a fair and accurate report of that hearing; published contemporaneously and published in good ____.

. If a journalist wants to publish a feature about a general issue of public interest, at the same time as a court case in which the issue features, which is the safest course of action to take:

Delay publishing the feature until after the case has concluded

Only publish the feature in a location away from where the court case is being held

Don't refer to the court case within the general feature

Delay any interviews for the feature until after the case has concluded

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