Narrow

The BBC has to lodge £1,199 with the High Court today to ask permission, from Mr Justice Mann to appeal against a decision by Mr Justice Mann - and that's just the start of it. The judge, in an unusually long decision, has boxed the BBC into a tricky position over its scoop about the search of Sir Cliff Richard's apartment.

He says that the way they acquired the information was 'unlawful'; the way they used it was 'unlawful'; the time they allowed Sir Cliff to make a statement was insufficient; the BBC's case that both reporting the event, and naming Sir Cliff was in the public interest wasn't enough to outweigh his right to privacy. Throughout all this, he deemed that the BBC damaged Sir Cliff to the value of at least £210,000. And, even if the story had beeen a straight, down-bulletin read by Huw Edwards, the BBC would have been in the wrong.

Just to anticipate an appeal, Mr Justice Mann said his decision should not be taken to have a 'chilling' effect on journalists work in the future. The BBC should probably, on behalf of hacks in general, take some of this decision to further consideration by a higher court - but it won't be popular with many of the general public, and the costs all lie with the licence-fee payer.  Let's see how wide the grounds of appeal claimed by the BBC are - narrow would be better.