There are many opinions about what should be done regarding the Leveson report. Do we follow the recommendations of Lord Justice Leveson, or do we ignore them? Something must be done about the press, but what – and who will do it?

Of course, the truth about the matter is nowhere near that simple, yet it is being framed so. This mammoth report, which, as any interested party surely already knows, comes in at just under 2000 pages, has only been in the public domain for around 30 hours. Realistically speaking, who has read it?

Practically nobody. I’m not trying to accuse anybody of shirking their duty here, either – reading 2000 pages of anything is quite a task, let alone a report of such magnitude and importance that it absolutely must not be rushed. Would anybody honestly expect to pass an exam on a 2000 page novel given only a day to read the bloody thing? No? Then why is there any pressure whatsoever on politicians and the press to move quickly?

Only a tiny amount of people are ever going to read Leveson in its entirety – a few hundred at most, perhaps. Most people claiming an opinion have made their opinion on the report based on necessary cherry-picking. I say necessary, because who realistically could have read the whole thing? The entire British media and political establishments are no doubt doing their best to get to grips with the thing, but make no mistake – people left, right, and centre are all trying to claim that they understand the report when they haven’t even had the time to read the bloody thing.

With a report of such importance, conducted after an inquiry of such scale that it is barely fathomable that we entrust its entire outcome to one person, it would be stupid beyond belief to rush in and make any sort of decision without having read and understood the entire thing.

Something must be done about the press, of course – this is undeniable. However, there is nothing good to be gained from being the first to make a bad decision. Handled poorly, this could affect the British press, and indeed the entire British democratic system of which our press is the strongest safeguard. As Leveson himself states, “There is a danger if the decision maker accepts and follows advice too slavishly. If that is done then discretion is fettered.” Wise words indeed, if one takes the time to read them.