Complaining that English libel laws have the effect of extorting rather than vindicating, news publishers have spelled out the reforms they seek in the most comprehensive report on the subject to date, Journalism.co.uk reported yesterday.

The report, titled "Free Speech is not for Sale," urges parliament to adopt a single-publication rule, among other reforms, which means civil judgments are not multiplied based on the number of times a libelous statement was reprinted in various copies of the same edition. A second reform advanced by the report is the capping of libel judgments at £10,000. A third involves employing alternatives to court process, such as informal mediation and arbitration.

Currently, the UK Press Complaints Commission receives complaints from the public regarding a media outlet's violation of British law. However, as critics of the organisation today pointed out in Journalism.co.uk, the PCC has no enforcement powers and, so, does little to alleviate actual harm while unfairly bringing discredit to the industry as a whole due to its highly-publicised pronouncements.

These defectors suggest raising an alternative organisation, one more focused on the abuse of process steadily eroding freedom of the press, its supporters say.