HMCTS/NS Protocol Update

The updated HMCTS/Newspaper Society/Society of Editors Protocol for sharing court registers and court lists with local newspapers, in order to assist accurate court reporting is now available on the NS website.

Aside from incorporation of HM Court Service’s name change to Her Majesty’s Court and Tribunal Service, courts will routinely include a reminder to journalists to safeguard the information and abide by reporting restrictions, in accordance with the terms of the Protocol. They will also check, at least twice a year, that recipients still continue to want to receive the material- so editors must promptly respond to courts’ requests for review and update of their contacts lists.

The court lists and court registers of judgments are vital tools for local coverage of the work of the local criminal courts, giving notice of upcoming criminal cases and allowing comprehensive weekly round ups of the outcome. The interest in the cases arising from the summer disorder emphasised again the importance of press reporting of the local Magistrates Courts and Crown Courts.

The original arrangements for supply of court lists and registers to the local press were negotiated between ministers and the NS over 20 years ago, but, in 2008, Jack Straw, then Justice Secretary and HM Court Service, agreed to abolish fees for supply, after representations by the NS and its members, including the Scarborough Evening News and The Herts Advertiser, with the assistance of their local MPs.

• Media to get free magistrates courts' publications