The libel vs Injuria. Freedom of the press in England and Spain at the end of the XIX century
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5944/rdp.123.2025.45506Keywords:
freedom of the press, libel, defamation, injuria, censorship, fundamental rightsAbstract
The legal framework of press freedom underwent a decisive change throughout Europe at the end of the 19th century. This period was characterized by the enactment of press laws in continental systems, which followed the line of English common law regarding the need to suppress prior control over newspapers. Particularly, in England, the taxation of newspapers was abolished, whereas in Spain, the Printing Press Law of 1883 was enacted, which favoured greater freedom of expression in both countries. In England the regulation of this right was based on the law of libel, while most of the sentences imposed on Spanish newspapers focused on the injuria´s crime. An analysis of the legislation, case law and doctrine on these crimes shows fundamental differences between the two countries. Specifically, it can be stated that in England there was greater freedom of the press, especially in public and religious affairs, which were much more restricted in Spanish publications. On the other hand, with respect to criminal procedure, we can see how there were different penalties, more severe in Spain, and different Courts to deal with these offences, which will also be decisive in determining that English newspapers had more freedom than the Spanish press.
Summary: 1. INTRODUCTION. 2. FREEDOM OF THE ENGLISH PRESS IN THE VICTORIAN ERA (1820-1855). 3. THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK OF PRESS FREEDOM AT THE END OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY: LIBEL AND INJURIA.3.1. Libel and injuria in private matters. 3.2. The wide-ranging regulation of libel for obscenity. 3.3. Different treatment of religious matters in England and Spain. 3.4. Seditious libel and criticism of public institutions. 4. CRIMINAL PROCEDURE IN LIBEL AND INJURIA: DIFFERENCES. 4.1. The competent Courts to hear the criminal offences. 4.2. The liability of individuals for crimes committed in the press. 4.3. The penalties imposed on the responsible subjects. 5. CONCLUSIONS
Downloads
References
ADIBE, J. (2010). Free Speech v Reputation: Public Interest Defence in American and English Law of Defamation, Adonis v Abbey Publishers Ltd.
ÁLVAREZ JUNCO, J., Estructura subterránea de la prensa de la Restauración. Madrid en la sociedad del siglo XIX, Madrid, Revista Alfoz, 1986.
AMPONSAH, P.N. (2004). Libel law, political criticism, and defamation of public figures: the United States, Europe, and Australia, New York, LFB Scholarly Pub.
BALLBÉ MALLOL, M., Orden público y militarismo en la España constitucional (1812-1983), Madrid, Alianza, 1984.
BARENDT, E. (2007). Freedom of Speech, Oxford, OUP.
BIRD, W. (2020). The Revolution in Freedoms of Press and Speech; From Blackstone to the First Amendment and Fox´s Libel Act. Oxford, Oxford University Press.
BLACKSTONE, W. (1765-1769). Commentaries on the laws of England, Oxford, Clarendon Press.
BLEAKLE, P. (2019). Cleaning up the dirty squad: using the Obscene Publications Act as a weapon of social control, University of New England, Pluto Journals, pp. 19-38.
COLLET, C. D. (1899). History of the Taxes on Knowledge, London, Fisher Unwin.
COX, D. J.& STEVENSON, K.& HARRIS C.& ROWBOTHAM, J. (2015). Public Indecency in England 1857-1960: “a serious and growing evil”, Taylor & Francis Group.
Criminal Appeal Reports: Digest. (1916, 1921). London, Stevens and Haynes.
CRUZ DE SEOANE, M., DOLORES SAIZ, M., Historia del Periodismo en España. El Siglo XIX, Madrid, Alianza, 1968.
DEEDES, W.F. (1990). Freedom of Expression and the Law: a report, London, Justice.
DEL VALLE, J.A., “La censura gubernativa de prensa en España (1914-1931)”, Revista de Estudios políticos (Nueva Época), núm.21, Madrid, Centro de Estudios Constitucionales, 1981.
ELLIOT.G. (1884). Newspaper Libel and Registration Act, 1881, London, Stevens & Haynes.
FRANCISCO FUENTES, J. Y FERNÁNDEZ SEBASTIÁN, J., Historia del Periodismo Español. Prensa, política y opinión pública en la España contemporánea, Madrid, Síntesis, 1998.
FOX BOURNE, H.R. (1887). English Newspapers. Chapters in the History of Journalism, London, vol. 2.
FRASER, H. (1889). The Law of Libel in its relation to the press. Law of libel Amendment Act, 1888 and all previous bearing on the subject, London, Reeves & Turner.
GÓMEZ APARICIO, P., Historia del Periodismo español: De la revolución de septiembre al desastre colonial, Madrid, Nacional, 1971.
HILLIARD, C. (2021). A Matter of Obscenity. The Politics of Censorship in Modern England, Oxfor, Princenton University Press.
HOLLS P. (1970). The Pauper Press. A study in Working Class radicalism of the 1830s, Oxford, Oxford University Press.
HOWARTH, D. (2011). “Libel: Its Purpose and Reform”, The Modern Law Review, núm.74 (6), pp. 845–877.
KING, A.& PLUNKETT, J. (2005). Victorian Print media, Oxford, University Press.
LÓPEZ DE RAMÓN, M. (2014). La construcción histórica de la libertad de prensa. Ley de Policía de Imprenta de 1883, Madrid, Dykinson.
LÓPEZ DE RAMÓN, M. (2023). La libertad distorsionada. La injerencia del poder en el reconocimiento de la libertad de prensa durante la Restauración borbónica (1883-1923), Madrid, Dykinson.
MADRID, F., VENZA, C., Antología documental del anarquismo español. Organización y revolución: De la Primera Internacional al Proceso de Montjuic (1868-1896), Madrid, Fundación Anselmo Lorenzo, 2001.
MARTÍNEZ ALCUBILLA, M., Boletín jurídico administrativo. Anuario de legislación y jurisprudencia, Madrid, Administración Augusto Figueroa, 1883-1914.
MARTÍNEZ ALCUBILLA, M., Diccionario de la Administración Española. Compilación de la Novísima Legislación de España peninsular y ultramarina en todos los ramos de la Administración pública, tomo del I al VIII, Madrid, Administración, 1886-1887.
MARTÍNEZ CUADRADO, M., Historia de España dirigida por Miguel Artola. Restauración y crisis de la monarquía (1874-1931), Madrid, Alianza, 1991.
MCDONELL, J. (1888-1898). Reports of State Trials. New Series. London: Eyre & Spottiswoode.
MEAGUER, D. (2020). Is there a common law “right” to freedom of speech?, Melbourne, Melbourne University Law, vol.43.
MILMO, P. & ROGERS, W.V. (2008). Gatley on Libel and Slander, London, Sweet & Maxwell, vol. XI.
NÚÑEZ FLORENCIO, R., Tal y como éramos. España hace un siglo, Madrid, Espasa Calpe, 1998.
RADZINOWICZ, L & HOOD, R.(ed.) (1948-1986). A History of the Criminal Law and its administration from 1750, vol.1-4, London: Stevens.
Report on the British Press. (1938). Press Group of PEP (Political and Economic Planning). London.
RICHARDS, D. A. J. (1974). Free Speech and Obscenity Law: Toward a Moral Theory of the First Amendment, University of Pennsylvania Law Review, vol. 123. pp. 45- 91.
SÁNCHEZ ILLÁN, J.C., Prensa y política en la España de la Restauración: Rafael Gasset y El Imparcial, Madrid, Biblioteca Nueva, 1999.
SCOTT, J., ET AL. (eds.) (1866-1875). The Law reports. Court of Common Pleas. London: Clowes and Sons.
SCOTT, J., ET AL. (eds.) (1876-1880). The Law reports. Common Pleas Division. London: Clowes and Sons.
SORIA, C. (1982). La ley española de Policía de Imprenta de 1883, Madrid, Documentación de las ciencias de la información, vol. 6.
STREET H., (1963). Freedom, the Individual and the Law, Bristol, Macgibbon & Kee.
STEPHEN, J.F. (ed.) (1878-1904). A Digest of the Criminal Law (Crimes and Punishments). 1-6 editions, London, Sweet & Maxwell/Macmillan.
STEPHEN, J.F. (ed.), (1883). A History of the Criminal Law of England, vol.1-3, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
The Law reports. Queen’s Bench Division, High Court of Justice (1865-1901), London, Incorporated Council of Law Reporting for England and Wales.
The Law reports. King’s Bench Division, vol.1, High Court of Justice (1901-1952). London, Incorporated Council of Law Reporting for England and Wales.
TIMOTEO ÁLVAREZ, J., Restauración y prensa de masas: Los engranajes de un sistema (1875-1883), Pamplona, Universidad de Navarra, 1981.
WALLIS, J.E.P., (1896). Reports of State Trials. New Series. Volume VII. 1848-1850, London, Eyre & Spottiswoode, pp. 507-635.
WICKMAR, W.H. (1928). The struggle for the freedom of the press 1819-1832, London, George Allen & Unwin.
WIENER, J.H. (1969). The War of the Unstamped: The Movement to Repeal the British Newspaper Tax, 1830-1836, New York, Ithaca.
WOOD RENTON, A.(ed.) (1898). Encyclopaedia of the Laws of England, London-Edinburgh, Morrison and Gibb limited, vol. I – XII.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 María López de Ramón
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Los autores que publican en esta revista están de acuerdo con los siguientes términos:
- La Revista de Derecho Político se distribuye bajo una Licencia Creative Commons Atribución-NoComercial-SinDerivar 4.0 Internacional
- Los autores conservan los derechos de autor y garantizan a la revista el derecho de ser la primera publicación del trabajo.
- Los autores pueden establecer por separado acuerdos adicionales para la distribución no exclusiva de la versión de la obra publicada en la revista (por ejemplo, situarlo en un repositorio institucional o publicarlo en un libro), con un reconocimiento de su publicación inicial en esta revista.
- Se permite y se anima a los autores a difundir sus trabajos electrónicamente (por ejemplo, en repositorios institucionales o en su propio sitio web) antes y durante el proceso de envío, ya que puede dar lugar a intercambios productivos, así como a una citación más temprana y mayor de los trabajos publicados (Véase The Effect of Open Access) (en inglés).
