Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer will meet groups from the media and legal sectors on Monday.
The Government has launched a new taskforce which aims to put a stop to lawsuits that have a “devastating” impact on journalists.
This action is often used by wealthy individuals and firms to try to stop journalists or campaigners from exposing wrongdoing under defamation and privacy laws.Ms Frazer said: “When I became culture secretary I vowed to stand up for independent voices and nurture a thriving media landscape which upholds and champions fearless truth telling.
“Working together with industry leaders, we will develop strong measures which enhance the freedom of the press to expose wrongdoing without fear of our justice system being abused to silence journalists.”A defamation case by HarperCollins and author Catherine Belton was settled with Roman Abramovich, after her book Putin’s People: How The KGB Took Back Russia And Then Took On The West included claims he purchased Chelsea football club in 2003 at the Russian president’s command.
UK bureau director for Reporters Without Borders, Fiona O’Brien, said: “Slapps can have a devastating impact on the journalists involved and their ability to report freely on matters of public interest, so we’re very pleased to see the establishment of a taskforce that recognises them as a serious and pressing threat.