Lord Justice Leveson has one of the least enviable jobs in public life. His assignment is to adjudicate between the demand for privacy and the principle of free speech. He must do so against the backdrop of a public outcry, an unfinished criminal investigation and a galloping technological revolution.
He has taken evidence from comedians making serious points and some serious people behaving like comedians. He has heard many different arguments. Today, the inquiry is hearing from The Times. This seems the appropriate moment to make clear to our readers the newspaper’s view on the future of the press.
We make two points above all. The first is that we believe in the freedom of the press and argue that preserving this freedom requires