InjunctionSuper vs Superinjunctions: Tweets Sidestep Gag Order

Superinjunctions Defied: Tweets Sidestep Extreme British Gag Orders

A simple anonymous Twitter account called InjunctionSuper has run roughshod over the UK's superinjunction laws, spreading rumors in defiance of a weird media rule that prevents the press from talking about gag orders that prevent the press from talking about celebrities and corporations.

What really got the public riled up, though, was the rumor about Jeremy Clarkson and Jemima Khan: a sex scandal is, well, sexier than a media-rights argument.

What is a Superinjunction?

A superinjunction is a ruling that basically seals a gag order. In other words, the News of the World cannot write, "Richard Branson secured a gag order to prevent us from talking about his plans for Lemur Island"*. NotW would have to pretend that the order, and the story to which it pertains, does not exist. In simpler terms, a superinjunction is a gag order on a gag order.

Superinjunctions aren't just about celebs getting laid: the first superinjunction was won by multinational oil company Trafigura to cover up its dumping of toxic waste off the coast of Cote d'Ivoire.

If this seems untenable to you, that's because it is untenable, as the UK is learning right now. While these super injunctions are supposed to serve as disincentives to tabloids, what they really do is prevent the celebrities and corporations who win those injunctions from defending themselves when the rumors eventually emerge.

For example, Jemima Khan denied the existence of a superinjuction on the Jeremy Clarkson story, but she'd have to, if there were a superinjunction. Yes, it's silly.

This simple set of tweets highlights a glaring problem with the UK's so-called free press: to what extent should the powerful be able to censor the media?

Also at issue is the reach of the law: Twitter is not bound by UK media laws, as obviously the InjunctionSuper account is still active.

Also, if Ryan Giggs' and Jemima Khan's PR teams think that InjunctionSuper is "a nightmare", we strongly suggest they never visit MediaTakeOut or TheDirty.

(* No superinjunction exists for Lemur Island, obviously. It's only an example.)