MLRC in Belfast – Titanic Day of Discussion and Debate

In June, MLRC held its European Media Lawyers Conference in the gritty and history-rich city of Belfast. Nearly 90 lawyers from Ireland, UK and Europe participated in a full day of sessions generously hosted on the 14th floor offices of PwC with its sweeping views of the city.

This was the ninth in a series of outreach meetings with European lawyers that began in Paris in 2015 before moving on to Berlin, Amsterdam, Dublin and now Belfast. The conference is not promoted to the general membership, partly so as not to compete with our London Conference, but also because of the special purpose of this conference which is to strengthen the cooperation, collaboration, and camaraderie of European media lawyers in their defense of free expression. Of course, we have also evangelized for First Amendment values. While there is much to extol, it has also been humbling to bring that message at a time when those values are under such sharp attack at home.

This year’s conference featured leading members of the judiciary, bar, and press. Chief Justice of Northern Ireland, Dame Siobhan Keegan, opened the conference with an exceptional address that was laser focused on the precise issues of the conference. “We meet,” she said, “at a moment when the role of the media is under intense scrutiny, when the boundaries of speech are being tested by technology, and when the legal profession is called upon to navigate the delicate balance between liberty and responsibility.” Her talk raised the issue that is top of the mind for so many media lawyers around the world: Is current media law fit for purpose in the digital age and emergence of AI?

That was also the question that closed out the conference. Using a deepfake video of French President Macron and his wife scuffling on aircraft boarding stairs, there was group discussion about accountability for such content and the application of defamation, privacy, data protection, and copyright law to manipulated content. Suffice it to say, there were more questions than answers.

In between, panels of judges, journalists, and barristers discussed media law trends from their unique vantage points. Among the notable speakers was Mrs. Justice Karen Steyn of the High Court of England & Wales, one of the court’s “libel list” judges who presided over the high profile “Wagatha Christie” case. She and a trio of judges from Ireland and NI addressed trends in media litigation, including the responsible journalism defense.

A panel of Irish and British journalists spoke eloquently about the safety challenges in reporting in a sectarian environment. In-house lawyers Pia Sarma, Adam Cannon, and Gill Phillips added their practical views on avoiding and managing claims. And a panel of barristers discussed litigating in Irish and UK courts. Adding to that rich array, leading human rights barrister Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC gave an after-lunch talk about seeking justice for Maria Ressa, the family of slain journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, and imprisoned Chinese publisher Jimmy Lai – all of whom have faced gut wrenching legal and extra-judicial retaliation for their journalism. She also discussed the threats leveled against her for her defense work – and comments at the session pointed out the frightening parallels to the threats and bullying of US law firms by President Trump. 

Sincere thanks are owed to Ciaran O’Shiel, Niamh Flanagan, and Martyn Doherty of A&L Goodbody who helped organize the sessions and logistics, and who together with Karyn Harty and Lesley Caplin of Dentons Ireland sponsored dinner and drinks for visiting delegates and speakers.  They also suggested some must do sightseeing in Belfast. Most significantly, the Black Taxi tours of Belfast where drivers share their personal and history-laden insights on “The Troubles” – the decades’ long sectarian violence that divided the city and its population. Next, was the Titanic Museum. This museum documents the construction of the ship in Belfast and ends with its tragic demise in the Atlantic in April 1912 – setting off one of the first media frenzies in modern history.  Fevered dispatches, often with errors, filled newspapers across America as reporters and editors churned out stories of heroism, cowardice, fearlessness, and neglect. An epic story of tragedy and survival that captivates history buffs and movie goers to this day.