Court ruling reveals name of anonymous police blogger
The Times Newspaper has won a court judgement to reveal the identity of a high-profile blogger. The blog in question, Night Jack, chronicled the musings and opinions of Richard Horton, a 45-year-old detective constable with the Lancashire constabulary.
The
Orwell Prize-winning blog had gained notoriety for its blunt evaluation of police methods and tactics in the United Kingdom.
His accounts of life in the police force have been widely praised for their candid look at crime and punishment in the United Kingdom. Horton has since been given a ‘writing warning’ by his superiors and the blog has been shut down.
Mixed reaction to the ruling
“We have conducted a full internal investigation and the officer accepts that parts of his public commentary have fallen short of the standards of professional behaviour we expect of our police officers,” a spokesperson for the
Lancashire constabulary said yesterday.
The identity of the Night Jack blogger was revealed through an investigation by a journalist from the Times. Horton initially succeeded in winning an injunction against the newspaper, although this was yesterday overturned by the high court. Mr Justice Eady said that Horton had no ‘reasonable expectation of privacy’.
“I do not accept that it is part of the court’s function to protect police officers who are, or think they may be, acting in breach of police discipline regulations from coming to the attention of superiors,” he said.
Many have said the ruling offers a legal precedent for any other organisations hoping to unmask anonymous bloggers.
“It would be a great shame if this unnecessary exposure inhibited other people from reporting from the front line of public life due to the increased risks involved,” commented Jean Seaton, chair of the Orwell Prize.
High profile blogger Belle De Jour called the ruling dangerous. Writing in the Guardian newspaper, she said:
“This case – because it went to court, with Night Jack trying to preserve an injunction preventing the Times from naming him – has set a legal precedent. A very dangerous precedent, to my mind...The content of his writing in no way justifies a blanket ruling that blogging is a public act and therefore cannot be anonymous.”
