British Media Secretary Maria Miller says the government has decided to establish a state-backed watchdog to regulate the scandal-hit media in the country.\n<\/p>\n
Amid newspapers’ efforts to continue with the existing system of self-regulation, Miller told British MPs that a government-backed regulator will be the best way to tackle such abuses as the phone-hacking scandal.\n<\/p>\n
œWe had a once-in-a-generation opportunity to get this right,” she told the House of Commons.\n<\/p>\n
œWe all want it to be the best we can do to give individuals access to redress whilst safeguarding this country’s free press, which forms such a vital part of our democracy”.\n<\/p>\n
The phone-hacking scandal revealed that a range of British journalists were involved in a series of illegal practices including eavesdropping on phone messages and hacking computers to obtain exclusive information on potentially-explosive news stories.\n<\/p>\n
An inquiry into the practice proposed last year that an independent media regulator be set up with the power to punish journalists and media companies, found involved in illegal activities.\n<\/p>\n
The proposal was criticized by the press as restrictive and giving too much power to politicians.\n<\/p>\n
The journalists proposed their own system of press self-regulation but Miller said it has been turned down by a sub-committee of the Queen™s councilors, the Privy Council, that approves new royal charters for the press.\n<\/p>\n
AMR\/HE<\/p>\n