England: Courts ordered not to ban media following foster case

Security staff were told not to allow reporters into the East London Family Court yesterday, which was looking at the case of a Christian girl being fostered by a Muslim family.

The judge had previously praised The Times for raising “very concerning matters” of “legitimate public interest”.

The newspaper’s chief investigative reporter, Andrew Norfolk was ordered to leave the building but was later allowed back in. Others were denied access for 90 minutes before Judge Carol Atkinson intervened after being contacted by the Ministry of Justice.

All managers at all of London’s courts subsequently received a message from a senior courts official stating: “The media plays a vital role in how government communicates with the public on a day-to-day basis.

“It both informs and shapes the public’s perception of government policies and services, including those provided by the courts and tribunals. Earlier today there was an incident at one of our courts, where members of the media were excluded from a court building.

“Can you please remind your teams that this must not happen under any circumstances and that security officers should also be reminded of the policy too.”