New bill targets abusive legal actions against journalists

Today Baroness Stowell has introduced a Private Members Bill in the House of Lords aimed at protecting journalists and citizens from Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs)—a legal tactic often used to silence criticism and investigative reporting.

What’s happening?

• The Bill had its First Reading in the House of Lords today.
• It proposes a new right for those facing abusive legal action to apply for early dismissal of the case.
• Courts would weigh the public interest in free speech against the likelihood of harm or damage claimed by the plaintiff.
• If a case is dismissed as a SLAPP, the claimant would be required to pay both parties’ legal costs.

Key protections in the Bill:

• Defendants would be shielded from paying the claimant’s legal costs unless the court finds it fair and appropriate.
• The Bill uses the established legal principle of balancing public interest, avoiding the need to define SLAPPs or judge the claimant’s motives.
• Legitimate claims can still proceed, ensuring access to justice is preserved.

Why now?
Baroness Stowell described SLAPPs as “a stain on our legal system and threat to a functioning democracy,” highlighting how such lawsuits have been used to suppress public interest journalism and silence ordinary citizens raising concerns online.

She noted that while some anti-SLAPP measures exist, they are limited to economic crime and require defendants to prove malicious intent—a high bar that leaves many unprotected.

What’s next?

• The Bill is concise (under two pages) and designed as a straightforward filter: courts can quickly dismiss abusive cases or allow legitimate ones to proceed.
• If passed, it could significantly reduce the chilling effect of costly legal threats on free speech.

Baroness Stowell urged the government to support the Bill, calling it “an opportunity to end abusive SLAPPs” and restore fairness to legal disputes involving freedom of expression.