In another high profile case, Lord Gifford QC is representing Nationwide News Network, a leading Jamaican radio station, in a suit brought by former Jamaican Prime Minister P.J. Patterson. The station had broadcast a report about a chartered plane landing in Jamaica from Cuba with a diplomatic pouch containing a large amount of cash. The story turned out to be untrue. Lord Gifford QC is arguing that the radio station had reliable sources and acted responsibly, so that this is a classic example of the “Reynolds privilege” defence, which protects media houses which act in good faith in a matter of public interest.
In the Supreme Court of Jamaica on 9th May 2014, Justice Paulette Williams heard closing arguments and reserved her judgment.
