Sir Christopher Meyer, the former British ambassador to the United States, will address members of the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Law at the Van Hecke-Wettach Hall. For a live blog of this event, check back here at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, March 26, 2012. 

Event to begin in several minutes. Sir Christopher Meyer has arrived. A crowd of over 50 is present.

David Ardia of UNC School of Law introduces Sir Christopher Meyer. It is “increasingly important” to be aware of how other countries deal with media law, says Ardia, and he looks forward to what Meyer has to say on it.

Meyer “extends his condolences” to UNC on its basketball loss.

U.S. and United Kingdom differ in media law, which makes it very difficult, says Meyer.

Meyer calls on an impartial source “from the planet Mars.” This example, comparing the man from planet Mars to the man from the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) highlights the PCC’s policies.

The PCC sanctions are “fear and ego,” says Meyer.

The PCC is made up of 17 commission members, yet only three are newspaper editors, says Meyer.

Meyer says that during his own watch is when the phone hacking scandal came to light.

Since Human Rights Act, much has to be decided on a case to case basis, says Meyer.

During Meyer’s last year he dealt with 400 privacy cases, he says. However, the PCC often blurs matters of public interest and matters of privacy, says Meyer.

It is not possible to remove the need for a case for case approach in the PCC, says Meyer.

PCC’s commissioners must come up with decisions that do not conflict with the law. “There is a time for the law and a time for the PCC,” says Meyer.

If you are seeking damages, law might be best, but media will be involved, and it is not the quickest method, says Meyer.

If you want a quick outcome, are not concerned with getting money and do not want to deal with the media, the PCC is the best method, says Meyer.

The BBC is regulated by Office of Commissions. The press is regulated by courts and by the PCC, says Meyer.

In the phone hacking case, the system worked exactly as it was supposed to, says Meyer.

There was more for the PCC to do after the imprisonment in the case, says Meyer. The PCC announced an investigation after the imprisonment to see what went wrong in the news of the world and to investigate internal controls in the news industry, says Meyer.

In the events of 2006-2007, there was a proper division of powers, whether or not the police investigation was just, says Meyer.

Meyer says his main point is that, “The phone hacking scandal, which was a matter of criminal investigation, is neither particularly useful nor relevant to the future of press regulation in the United Kingdom.”

Meyer argues that editors should not be removed from the PCC because their voice is important to the commission. The PCC should have the right to direct editors where to put corrections and revisions in newspapers and online, says Meyer.

Prominent news sources should “subscribe” to the PCC; this would act as a “seal of approval,” says Meyer. However, sources like most online should not be included in this “subscription.”

Referring to Winston Churchill’s quote, Meyer says, “The PCC…is the worst system of regulation until you compare it to the others.”

If you abandon distinction between public and private life, you are in trouble, says Meyer. However, it is “always case by case,” he says.

In response to a question, Meyer points out that the only way to ensure a very accurate “seal of approval” that he discussed is for the PCC to have very few people who have actually worked in the media business serving on the commission.

In response to a student in the audience, Meyer says that the PCC does offer a lot of ethical training for journalists. However, he says, “You can have all the ethical training in the world, but you have to take account of human nature.” He says that when he refers to human nature he is referring to competition among media sources and who has the best headline story first.

The Daily Mail, a British news source, has a “fierce editorial position” which is “unthinkable” to most American papers, says Meyer. Fiercer opinions is most of what distinguishes American from British media sources, says Meyer.

Meyer’s wife, Catherine Meyer, will be talking in classroom 4085 in the UNC School of Law on Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. Her talk will be about PACT (Parents and Abducted Children Together) non-profit organization.

Meyer thanks the audience.