BBC 'censors' Have I Got News For You over footballer gagging order blunder - Telegraph

Quote:

Tory MP Louise Bagshawe was censored after she appeared to come embarrassingly close to outing the identity of a married Premier League footballer who allegedly had an affair with Big Brother star Imogen Thomas. As part of the BBC One show's 'odd one out' round on Friday night, four images of people who have taken out injunctions were displayed – with their faces blacked out. Miss Bagshawe said: "You're not allowed to know who they are. They may or may not have done something with ladies who are not their wives. One of them definitely doesn't rhyme with … even though he is a footballer." When she was about to say the rhyme, the sound was muted and a black bar was superimposed across her mouth. Nearly 30 footballers, actors and television presenters have won injunctions in recent weeks alone, preventing the press from publishing details of their sexual indiscretions. Related Articles David Cameron attacks gagging order judges 21 Apr 2011 Calls for Ministry of Justice to reveal number of injunctions 22 Apr 2011 Hyper-injunction criticised 21 Mar 2011 Miss Bagshawe's apparent slip came as Ken Clarke was urged to order judges to put freedom of the press before the privacy of the rich and famous. John Whittingdale MP, the chairman of the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, said it was time for the Government to intervene after a series of injunctions were handed down by the courts. Mr Whittingdale said on Friday that judges should be reminded that the Human Rights Act, passed by MPs in 1998, instructs courts to put freedom of expression first. While the Act enshrines contradictory rights to privacy and freedom of expression, Section 12 makes clear the courts 'must have particular regard' for press freedoms. A judge recently prevented the media from identifying the identity of a Premier League footballer who is alleged to have had an affair with Miss Thomas. His name has been published on a number of internet websites, but the Have I Got News For You incident was the closest the mainstream media has come to revealing his identity. Mr Whittingdale said he was demanding answers from the Ministry of Justice, headed by justice secretary Mr Clarke, about the overall number of injunctions and superinjunctions – which ban the media from even reporting that an injunction has been issued. He said: "When we passed the Human Rights Act, Parliament was very clear that freedom of expression should be given a greater emphasis than privacy, and yet that doesn’t seem to be happening. “Part of the problem is we simply don’t know how many of these injunctions have been granted. We need to find out whether there is a widespread practice now of judges granting injunctions. “If that is the case we need to consider whether Parliament’s will contained in the Human Rights Act is being implemented by the judges. “If not, the Ministry of Justice needs to remind judges that Parliament is clear that freedom of expression needs to take priority.” Miss Bagshawe, who became famous as an author of romantic 'chic lit' fiction before she became an MP, said she was considering using parliamentary privilege, which allows MPs to speak without fear of prosecution, to name in the Commons the stars who have taken out injunctions. David Cameron has accused judges of using the Human Rights Act, which enshrines the European Convention on Human Rights into British law, to usher in a privacy law by the back door. The Ministry of Justice has told MPs that it only collects details of the number of applications for an injunction, not the outcomes. The growing trend has provoked claims that only the wealthy can afford expensive lawyers to help hush up their indiscretions. Among those to have been granted injunctions in recent weeks include a celebrity family man and an internationally acclaimed British actor. Mr Clarke is expected to draw up new regulations after Master of the Rolls Lord Neuberger publishes a report on injunctions next month.

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I'm not sure what the quotation marks are there for. They didn't "censor" it, they censored it.

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Yeah. It was hilarious though. HIGNFY is sometimes pretty close to the wire, but this was the first time we've seen it explicitly censored. Which was more or less the joke anyway. As was pointed out, even if they had known who the 4 anonymous figures were, and had known which was the odd one out, they couldn't have said the answer.