header-logo header-logo

Home Login E-newsletter About us
31 March 2023 / Jeremy Clarke-Williams , Sophie Taraniuk
Issue: 8019 / Categories: Opinion , Public , Defamation , Privacy
printer mail-detail

When is private information in the public interest?

© Copyright LexisNexis 2026. All Rights Reserved.
117288
Is there any recourse for families at the centre of a media storm? Jeremy Clarke-Williams & Sophie Taraniuk assess whether the discourse surrounding the disappearance of Nicola Bulley crossed the line

Certain cases capture the public’s attention and generate an extraordinary volume of reportage, scrutiny, comment and speculation.

On 27 January 2023, Nicola Bulley’s disappearance quickly became the subject of very widespread and intense media coverage. How intense? Well, Private Eye (No 1593) reports that by 21 February 2023, the Daily Mirror had run 232 pieces about the matter while The Sun had published 175 articles, and MailOnline 328 (that works out at more than 13 a day).

Inevitably, this led to viral coverage on social media. The unusual and mysterious circumstances of Ms Bulley’s disappearance, coupled with the apparent lack of progress in finding her, led to widespread speculation and a number of self-styled ‘social media detectives’ even taking it upon themselves to visit the location. In due course this potent mixture

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Read All
Sidley—James Inness

Sidley—James Inness

Partner joins capital markets team in London office

Haynes Boone—William Cecil

Haynes Boone—William Cecil

Firm announces appointment of partner as UK general counsel

Devonshires—Nicholas Barrows

Devonshires—Nicholas Barrows

Firm appoints first chief marketing officer to drive growth strategy

NEWS
Read All
NLJ this week: CPR tweak closes third-party disclosure gap
A seemingly dry procedural update may prove potent. In his latest 'Civil way' column for NLJ this week, Stephen Gold explains that new CPR 31.12A—part of the 193rd update—fills a ‘lacuna’ exposed in McLaren Indy v Alpa Racing
NLJ this week: Court of Appeals wrestles with Mazur fallout
The long-running Mazur saga edged towards its finale as the Court of Appeal heard arguments on whether non-solicitors can ‘conduct litigation’. Writing in NLJ this week, Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School reports from a packed courtroom where 16 wigs watched Nick Bacon KC argue that Mr Justice Sheldon had failed to distinguish between ‘tasks and responsibilities’
NLJ this week: Appeal court reins in ‘wrong defendant’ switcheroo

The Court of Appeal has slammed the brakes on claimants trying to swap defendants after limitation has expired. In Adcamp LLP v Office Properties and BDB Pitmans v Lee [2026] EWCA Civ 50, it overturned High Court rulings that had allowed substitutions under s 35(6)(b) of the Limitation Act 1980, reports Sarah Crowther of DAC Beachcroft in this week's NLJ

NLJ this week: Driving test fraudsters steer towards jail
Cheating in driving tests is surging—and courts are responding firmly. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth of De Montfort Law School charts a rise in impersonation and tech-assisted fraud, with 2,844 attempts recorded in a year
NLJ this week: Deepfakes demand data law muscle
As AI-generated ‘deepfake’ images proliferate, the law may already have the tools to respond. In NLJ this week, Jon Belcher of Excello Law argues that such images amount to personal data processing under UK GDPR
Copyright © 2026 LexisNexis
back-to-top-scroll