This site provides information, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified solicitor for specific legal matters. Nothing on UK JournoHub creates a solicitor–client relationship.
Information Versus Legal Advice
There is a legally significant difference between information about the law and legal advice. UK JournoHub provides the former, not the latter.
Legal advice is the application of law to a specific set of facts, provided by a qualified legal professional who has assessed your individual circumstances, taken instruction, and accepted a duty of care to you. Nothing on this site constitutes legal advice in that sense.
What UK JournoHub provides is general information about the legal landscape that affects UK journalists: the text and structure of relevant statutes, the holdings of key cases, the provisions of regulator codes, and practical guidance on navigating these frameworks. This information is intended to help journalists understand the law, not to substitute for professional legal counsel.
If you face a specific legal situation — a defamation threat, a contempt concern, a police inquiry, a regulatory complaint — you should seek advice from a qualified solicitor. The NUJ provides legal support to members; the Law Society’s Find a Solicitor tool can help you identify specialist media law practitioners.
Jurisdiction
UK JournoHub’s primary focus is the law of England and Wales. The United Kingdom has multiple legal jurisdictions, and in many areas of law that affect journalists — defamation, contempt, FOI, courts structure — the law in Scotland and Northern Ireland differs materially from that in England and Wales.
Scotland
Scotland has its own distinct legal system (Scots law), separate courts, and separate legislation for many areas relevant to journalism:
- ›Defamation:The Defamation and Malicious Publication (Scotland) Act 2021 governs defamation in Scotland; it differs significantly from the Defamation Act 2013 (which applies in England and Wales). Scotland’s serious harm test, defences, and court procedures differ.
- ›Freedom of Information: The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 applies to Scottish public authorities; the FOI Act 2000 applies to UK-wide bodies. Different timescales, exemptions, and appeal routes apply.
- ›Contempt of court: The Contempt of Court Act 1981 applies UK-wide, but Scots court procedure, the role of the Crown Office, and the structure of Scottish courts (Sheriff Court, Court of Session, High Court of Justiciary) differ from the English system.
- ›Court structure:Scottish courts are differently structured. There is no equivalent of the Magistrates’ Court or Crown Court; instead there are Justice of the Peace Courts, Sheriff Courts, the Court of Session, and the High Court of Justiciary.
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland has its own legislature and distinct legislation in some areas:
- ›Defamation: Northern Ireland has its own defamation law which predates the Defamation Act 2013 (which does not apply there). The law is closer to pre-2013 England and Wales law; reform has been under discussion.
- ›Freedom of Information: The FOI Act 2000 applies to UK-wide bodies. Northern Ireland also has the Freedom of Information Act 2000 for devolved bodies, with appeals to the NI Information Commissioner, not the UK ICO.
- ›Courts:The courts system in Northern Ireland includes Magistrates’ Courts, County Courts, and the High Court of Justice in Northern Ireland, sitting separately from the courts of England and Wales.
Where our content is specific to England and Wales, we say so. Where we cover Scottish or Northern Irish frameworks, we note the differences. Where in doubt: check with a specialist in your jurisdiction.
Currency of Information
Law changes. Cases are decided, statutes are amended, regulator codes are updated, and government guidance is revised. Every page on UK JournoHub carries a “Last reviewed” date to help you assess how current the content is.
However, even recently reviewed content may not reflect a change that occurred after the review date. Always verify the current position independently before relying on any legal or regulatory information, particularly if you are about to publish something that may carry legal risk.
If you become aware that content on this site is out of date, please tell us via our corrections process. We review all legal pages at least every 6 months, but reader reports of changed law are valuable and acted on promptly.
Linked Third Parties
UK JournoHub links extensively to external websites and resources: the NUJ, IPSO, IMPRESS, Ofcom, ICO, BAILII, legislation.gov.uk, GOV.UK, and others. We include these links for convenience and to support verification of our sources.
- ›We do not endorse, and are not responsible for, the content of external websites, including those we link to.
- ›External sites have their own terms of use, privacy policies, and content standards. We are not liable for their content or practices.
- ›Links may break or become outdated. If you find a broken external link, please report it.
- ›Linking to an external organisation does not imply that UK JournoHub is affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of that organisation.
Tools
UK JournoHub provides several interactive tools, including a Freelance Rate Calculator, FOI Request Builder, and Pitch Generator. These tools are provided as aids to understanding and drafting, not as authoritative outputs.
- ›Rate Calculator: Produces illustrative figures based on user inputs and NUJ/crowdsourced rate data. The output is a starting point for negotiation, not a statement of the market rate or a binding figure.
- ›FOI Builder: Generates draft FOI requests based on user inputs. The output is a draft that you should review, adapt, and take responsibility for before sending. We do not guarantee that a request generated by our tool will meet the requirements of the FOI Act 2000 or other applicable legislation in every circumstance.
- ›Pitch Generator: Produces illustrative pitch structures. Editorial requirements vary by outlet; always verify the submission guidelines of your target publication.
All tools produce outputs that you should verify against your own circumstances before acting on them. UK JournoHub is not liable for outcomes arising from the use of these tools.
Forum
Where UK JournoHub operates a community forum, the following applies:
- ›Forum posts are user-generated content. UK JournoHub does not endorse, verify, or vouch for the accuracy of any forum post.
- ›We moderate the forum to remove content that breaches our community guidelines, but moderation does not imply endorsement of remaining content.
- ›Nothing posted in the forum constitutes legal advice. Do not rely on forum posts for legal or professional decisions.
- ›If you see forum content that appears harmful, defamatory, or legally problematic, please report it to hello@ukjournohub.com.
Liability Limitation
To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, UK JournoHub excludes all liability for any loss or damage arising directly or indirectly from:
- ›Reliance on any information, guidance, or content published on this site, whether accurate or not, current or outdated.
- ›The output of any tool provided on this site, including the Rate Calculator, FOI Builder, and Pitch Generator.
- ›Content posted by users in any forum or community feature of this site.
- ›Content at external websites linked to from UK JournoHub.
- ›Interruptions to access to this site, errors, or omissions in the site’s content.
Nothing in this disclaimer limits liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or any other liability that cannot be excluded or limited by English law.
Take-Down and Retraction Requests
If you believe any content on UK JournoHub is inaccurate, defamatory, in breach of your intellectual property rights, or otherwise requires removal, please contact us. We take all such requests seriously and will respond promptly.
Please send take-down or retraction requests to:
- Email: hello@ukjournohub.com with the subject line “Take-down request”
Please include in your request:
- ›The full URL of the page containing the content you wish to have removed
- ›A description of the specific content and the grounds on which you request its removal
- ›Your name and contact details
We will acknowledge receipt within five working days and will assess the request against our editorial standards and applicable law. Where a request is upheld, we will remove or correct the content promptly. Where a request is declined, we will explain our reasoning.
Governing Law
This disclaimer and your use of UK JournoHub is governed by the law of England and Wales. Any dispute arising in connection with this site will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales, save where applicable law requires otherwise.
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