Hello
As most of you know, Mumsnet is a part of the Libel Reform Campaign, which has been pushing for a new Libel Bill in Parliament to reform England's archaic libel laws. The laws as they stand impact negatively on freedom of expression in the UK and abroad, with writers and current affairs programmes finding themselves facing defamation suits for breach of "super-injunctions", and human rights campaigners forced to edit or retract articles in the face of legal action.
We're proud that Mumsnet is a network which supports users' freedom of speech and anonymity (in most cases, of course, barring obvious breaches of conduct or abuse under a cloak of anonymity trolls ). So many Mumsnetters take refuge in the site and gain support on difficult, real-life situations, and they do so confidentially.
England's current libel laws have the potential to silence users by demanding the removal of anonymous posts, or worse still threatening users with libel action if we do not identify them - no matter how trivial or informal the complaint. Though this hasn't happened yet, it's not a far cry from what might be if the law doesn't begin changing soon.
Thanks to years of campaigning with Mumsnet's support, the Libel Reform Campaign is now very close to getting a first Bill through Parliament; one which will protect academic and scientific freedoms, and provide greater legal cover for responsible journalism. However the bill is now under threat from a group of peers who have inserted amendments to stall its progress through Parliament.
The current parliamentary session ends in late April/early May. If the Bill doesn't reach the Commons in the next two weeks, it may be lost entirely.
We need your help. The Government has not tabled the Libel Bill.
We've only one week to save the bill. There are three quick and easy things you can do:
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<strong>Write to your MP</strong> urging them to table the Bill via this simple <a class="break-all" href="http://www.libelreform.org/dontkillthebill" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">"Don't Kill the Bill" form</a>
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<a class="break-all" href="http://www.libelreform.org/#" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sign the Libel Reform petition</a>
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Share this link with your friends and family <a class="break-all" href="http://bit.ly/14ou0Vv" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">bit.ly/14ou0Vv</a>
MPs have told us they don't think that libel reform is an issue of concern among constituents. Our experiences everyday on Mumsnet tell us otherwise. So if you care about and want to protect Mumsnetters' freedom of expression and confidentiality, please take action - write to your MP today!
Thanks
MNHQ