Journalists in England and Wales will now be able to report from family courts. The nation’s most senior family judge has hailed the “watershed” change.
Accredited journalists will now be able to speak to families about ongoing cases, reporting what they witness in court, and quote key documents. They will however be required to keep the families anonymous.
Family courts are responsible for cases that can have significant impacts on people’s lives, especially children. They can determine whether the children are to be put into care or which parent is given custody.
Hearings are generally held privately. Since 2009, journalists have been able to attend but have not had a right to report. This change comes after a two-year “transparency pilot” that started with three court centres and now covers nearly half of all family courts in England and Wales.
Sir Andrew McFarlane, the most senior judge in the Family Court, has hailed the decision, saying that reporting on and calling out cases was a “healthy development.” He has “looked forward to more in the future.”
However, not all judges agree. Judge Haigh, a senior family judge in Manchester said he did not support the “transparency project.”
“I have always felt these cases are deeply private and my judgments are there really for the parents, to help them,” he said. “They are not for public consumption or to allow press and journalists to further their journalistic ambitions.”
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