Dr Evan Harris and Daisy Cooper have been appointed as Joint Executive Directors of Hacked Off, the campaign for a free and accountable press.Dr Evan Harris has been the Associate Director at Hacked Off since the campaign began in 2011. He was an MP from 1997-2010, during which time he abolished the laws of blasphemy, seditious libel and criminal defamation and founded the Libel Reform Campaign, which led to the Defamation Act 2013. He is also a trustee of Article 19 which campaigns for freedom of expression and the right to information, and for journalists’ rights world-wide.Daisy Cooper has been the Operations and Projects Manager at Hacked Off since 2013. Previously, she worked in international development. At the Commonwealth Secretariat, she was the driving force behind budget and governance reforms that improved transparency around the use of tax-payers’ money, and was an advisor to two international Commissions. As Director of the Commonwealth’s human rights think-tank, she campaigned for LGBT+ rights abroad, and led calls for Sri Lanka to be suspended from the association and stripped of its Chairmanship for its continued human rights abuses. Daisy is also a District Councillor.Dr Evan Harris and Daisy Cooper take over from Joan Smith, who stepped down last month to return to full-time writing.Hugh Tomlinson QC, Chair of Hacked Off said:

“I am delighted that Evan and Daisy have agreed to become joint Executive Directors. Nearly three years after the Leveson Report, press bosses are still in denial. The industry is refusing to subject its own regulator IPSO to an independent audit – knowing, as it does, that IPSO would fail the test of independence from the industry or politicians, or effectiveness for victims of press abuse who seek redress. Meanwhile, ordinary people are left vulnerable to shocking levels of intrusion and inaccurate and discriminatory reporting without any meaningful redress. Evan and Daisy are tenacious campaigners and will continue Hacked Off’s campaign for the independent and effective system of press regulation that Leveson recommended and the public deserves.”

For any media enquiries please contact press@hackinginquiry.org or call 07554 665 940.