Max Mosley is pursuing several libel actions around Europe against publications who were careless enough to repeat the News of the World’s allegations that he had engaged five dominatrices for a Nazi style orgy – now believed by most of us in court to have been, beyond doubt, invented by Screws hack, Neville “Onan the Barbarian” Thurlbeck.

Mosley has suggested that he might use some of the proceeds of these libel actions (and it’s likely he’ll win several of them) to set up a fund so that those less rich than he could also pursue the Wapping lie-factory next time they transgress.

That’s generous and thoughtful, but it really should not be up to the private generosity of an individual who has received damages for having his reputation torn to shreds by the intrusive Screws. There should be in place a fund supported by the newspaper industry itself that will allow injured people to take the risk of suing those organs who have printed untruths about them. In cases where the individual won, it would anyway usually fall to the offending paper to pay the costs, so the fund wouldn’t be ultimately liable for a great deal.

Of course, frivolous, or potentially hopeless cases would have to be weeded out before they incurred heavy costs, but the judges could see to that.

Perhaps the PCC might consider pursuing this idea, but I doubt it.

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