““The answer lies in a system of press management combining watertight legal controls with a compelling political ideology that encourages not just obedience, but also active support...The first, which is the older and more common, is made up of various licensing and national security laws. Press laws inherited from the British require all newspapers to be licensed; licenses can be revoked at any time, effectively killing a publication. Journalists must also beware the Internal Security Act, under which they can be detained without trail. They can be fined or jailed if they are judged to be in contempt of court of contempt of parliament. The Official Secrets Act deters reporters from being on the receiving end of leaks, while libel laws compel them to take extreme care with any information that could hurt officials' reputations.””
