IMPRESS and CIArb have launched an arbitration service to resolve media law disputes involving journalists.
This is a significant milestone for press regulation in the United Kingdom; an arbitration service offering affordable access to justice was one of Sir Brian Leveson’s central recommendations for press regulators in his November 2012 report.
This scheme provides a much-needed alternative to adversarial media law litigation and removes the problem of astronomical legal costs set by litigants blocking investigative journalism.
An aggrieved claimant should contact IMPRESS in the first instance to lodge their complaint. Once it is determined that the dispute is suitable for Arbitration under the scheme, the claimant and the publisher must then apply, jointly, to CIArb, through IMPRESS, for the appointment of an Arbitrator to determine the dispute.
This is done by completing an application form (Form ARB1), in which they both confirm their agreement to arbitrate under the Scheme, and in accordance with the Scheme’s Rules and the Arbitration Act 1996 (or the Arbitration (Scotland) Act 2010, if applicable).
A copy of the Scheme’s Rules can be found on the IMPRESS website
IMPRESS is supported by Sir Harold Evans, the crusading former Sunday Times Editor, and has received funding from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and public donations, including a crowdfunding campaign match-funded by bestselling author J.K. Rowling.
Please see a copy of the scheme rules under ‘Resources’.
For any further enquiries please contact:
T: 0207 421 7455
E: das@ciarb.org