Wednesday briefing: How ​outdated ​rules ​on reporting fuel ​misinformation in ​high-profile ​trials

In today’s newsletter: As social media fills the gaps with rumour and conjecture, reporters must navigate a legal framework that has grown heavier, stricter and increasingly out of step with the digital age

Good morning. Today an inquest will open into the deaths of five of the babies that Lucy Letby was found guilty of murdering, marking yet another legal milestone in a case that has been difficult for journalists to report on – not just because of the trauma involved, but because readers often see speculation online that the media cannot legally discuss.

In England and Wales the laws around contempt of court, and instructions from the courts to preserve the anonymity of victims and their parents, have made the reporting fraught in a way that is not mirrored in the US. Indeed, while the legal process continued, UK users were for a period blocked from accessing a 13,000-word article about the case in The New Yorker magazine – throwing into sharp relief the legal constraints on UK reporting.

Epstein-Mandelson scandal | The Metropolitan police have formally launched a criminal investigation into allegations Peter Mandelson leaked Downing Street emails and market sensitive information to child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Ukraine | Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of violating an agreement with Donald Trump to hold off from attacking Ukraine’s energy systems in the depths of a freezing winter, as Vladimir Putin’s forces carried out large-scale airstrikes on Kyiv.

Grok AI | Elon Musk’s X and xAI companies are under formal investigation by the UK’s data protection watchdog after the Grok AI tool produced indecent deepfakes without people’s consent.

UK news | As much as half of some British beaches’ coarse sediments consist of human-made materials such as brick, concrete, glass and industrial waste, a study has found.

Prisons | The most dangerous extremist prisoners in England and Wales will be held in “supermax-style units” similar to those used in US jails, David Lammy has told MPs.