The press and the law

At present in Britain there are no specific press laws. Certain others, however, include sections, which apply to the press. These include:

• the extent of newspaper ownership in radio and TV compa­nies;

• the transfer of newspaper assets;

• restriction on feporting certain court proceedings;

• restriction on publishing material that could incite racial ha­tred;

• the right of press representatives to be admitted to local au­thority meetings.

Laws covering contempt of court, official secrets, libel and defamation are of particular relevance to the press. Comments on judicial proceedings, which may prejudice the court's reputa­tion for fairness cannot be published, nor can anything which might influence the result of a trial Most legal proceedings against the press are libel actions brought by private individuals. There are also restrictions on the publication of certain advertisements for remedies for certain diseases and some prize competitions. Copyright is also protected by law.

The Press Complaints Commission was established to en­sure that newspapers and periodicals follow a Code of Practice drawn by newspaper and magazine editors and adopted by the industry. The Code of Practice covers such matters as inaccura­cy, harassment, intrusion into privacy and discrimination by the press. The Commission, whose members are drawn from both the public and the press, receives and adjudicates upon complaints about possible breaches of the code. It also gives general guid­ance to editors on ethical issues. All complaints are dealt with on paper, rather than at a formal hearing. Most complaints are about inaccuracy. The Commission publishes regular reports listing every complaint and details of how this is being pursued. The Commission is financed by a levy paid by newspapers and mag­azines.

LESSON 3

3.1. Неофициальное письмо

a) адрес

Mrs. Ivy Wilkinson,	Mr. C. J. Williams,
Ward 3,	35, Manor Rd.,
County Hospital	Harpole,
Royal Ave.,	Portsmouth,
Birmingham	Hants. (Hampshire)

The destination address appears only on the envelope, usually in the bottom half, under the name of the person to whom the letter is written. This address is presented in a similar way to the letter-writer's own address but is more likely to use the following abbreviations: Rd., (Road,); St., (Street,); Ave., (Avenue,); PI., (Place,); Sq., (Square,); Gdns., (Gardens,). Note the full stop used after the abbreviation, before the usual comma.

b) обращение When writing to members of our own family, if they are of the same generation or of a younger generation (brothers, sisters, cousins, nieces, nephews, sons, daughters), we simply use the first name: Dear John, Dear Mary, etc. For parents and grandparents we usually use: Dear Mum, Dad, Grandad, Grannie, or sometimes Dear Mother, Father, Grandfather, Grandmother; for uncles and aunts we usually use the first name with Uncle or Aunt (ie) before it: Dear Auntie Ivy, Dear Uncle Tom. Such letters typically end with Lots of love. Love, Much love (for close relatives); Yours affectionately (more formal but still close); Best wishes. Kind regards (dutiful).

3.2. Конструкции to + infinitive / to + -ing / you (your) + -ing

We were sorry to hear that you are back in hospital. I used to like the summer. I want to go now. After 'to', the verb form is usually the infinitive, while other prepositions are usually followed by the -ing form of the verb, e.g. I'm afraid of flying, without waiting.

He insists on going. I am used to getting up early. I am (getting) accustomed to having some free time. We are looking forward to seeing you. He doesn't object to going to school. In these cases, 'to' is followed by a verb in '-ing'.

I'm used to your racing in and out. I don't object to you smoking. She's tired of him coming in late. We're used to their complaining about everything. When the -ing verb concerns somebody other than the first subject, either the pronoun or name: you, him, John, or the possessive: your, his, John's, is used. There is no significant difference, though the possessive is a little more formal.