You may have noticed more journalists calling you for a comment recently, often just before a print deadline.
They may be doing so on instruction from their legal department, who are keen to rely on the 'Reynolds Defence'.
What is the Reynolds Defence?A newspaper can defend a story even if it is false by arguing that it is in the public interest to publish it, and that they acted responsibly in researching and writing it.
This means that journalists are under more pressure to research and write 'responsibly'.
What does 'responsible journalism' actually mean?The House of Lords set out a non-exhaustive Ten Point Test to define 'responsible journalism'. Questioning whether a journalist acted 'responsibly' when preparing their article and referring to the Ten Point Test can assist you greatly when discussing the piece with them.