Are strategic legal threats killing good journalism?

For Fact's Sake - A podcast by The Ferret - Thursdays

Episode 11 of For Fact's Sake is all about how journalists and fact-checkers are often stifled by legal action. We spoke to Nik Williams from Index on Censorship (and The Ferret's co-chair) about strategic litigation against public participation, more commonly known as SLAPPs. A SLAPP is a legal threat that is often aimed at stopping an accurate piece of information from entering the public domain. Also on the podcast, Ali and Paul look at a bad photoshop of Nicola Sturgeon, and discuss a fake article about the untimely death of (very much alive) celebrity chef Gino D'Acampo.Show notes: You can see the work of Index on Censorship here. Our Sturgeon arrest fact check is here. Read the full story of Gino D'Acampo's fake obituary in this excellent thread by Michael Marshall.