Tweeting in court: Judge to issue guidance today

The country's top judge is to issue guidance today on the use of Twitter to cover court proceedings, the Independent reports.

It carries a PA story that: "Lord Judge, the Lord Chief Justice, will give "interim" guidance on the use of Twitter and "electronic devices", pending the outcome of a consultation process with the media on the issue.

"The announcement that he would be giving the guidance was made last Thursday - hours after supporters of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange were banned from posting updates from court while a High Court judge decided whether he should be granted bail.

"Mr Justice Ouseley, who went on to give Mr Assange conditional bail that day, ruled at the start of the proceedings that supporters and journalists should not send Tweets to give a blow-by-blow account of what was happening."

At an earlier bail hearing, District Judge Howard Riddle had allowed Tweeting from the City of Westminster Magistrates' Court.