You’ve spent weeks on a story you know is going to have a big impact. You’ve been back and forth with your editor, double-checking dates and locations, following up with sources. It breaks. There’s immediate interest: other publications pick it up, it’s going viral. And then… you’re hit with a lawyer’s letter.

Or perhaps the inverse is true: you check your socials, only to discover that your reputation is being damaged by spurious claims online. Or maybe you discover that your content has been stolen, or re-purposed by AI, or perhaps you’ve been the victim of a traumatic event, only to have your grief exploited for headlines. Before you know it, you may find your peace of mind, career, reputation and even financial stability threatened by a person, publication or story seemingly beyond your control.

What do you do?

You can, of course, go to court. According to the Jackson Review on civil litigation, your case will require a minimum dispute amount of £10K for most legal firms to consider it. Should you meet that threshold, it will be almost a year before you go to trial, and once you do, even if you win, you’ll be liable for legal fees in the region of £754K. Without access to significant time and resources this could be insurmountable, meaning for many there are no means to justice or redress.

There is an alternative. Alternative dispute resolution provides a low-cost mechanism for media participants to resolve legal claims without going to court. It reduces the risk of litigation and provides a fair, impartial and legally enforceable process to seek compensation without fear of costly legal reprisal. With arbitration, once the outcome is determined, the decision will be published the same way as a court judgment, with the added benefit that arbitration leaves little room to appeal – as opposed to a court judgment which could be subject to length appeal processes extending time and costs for years in the future.

Impress is an expert in media dispute resolution, having delivered the first (and only!) three recognised arbitration awards for UK news publishers and the public, simultaneously triaging dozens and privately resolving numerous other enquiries since inception. Until now dispute resolution has only been available to regulated member publications however, as part of our mission to support trustworthy journalism and build more ethical media practices, we now offer this service to anyone in the media who needs it.

Should you find yourself in crisis, or are simply looking for some practical advice, reach out to us by filling the form.