News International has apologised and settled its mobile phone hacking case with Sienna Miller out of court for £100,000. It sets a precedent for other claims and is a clear admission of culpability by the publisher of the News of the World.

Meanwhile Attorney General Dominic Grieve QC speaking to BBC Radio 4 Law In Action earlier this week dished out the surprising warning that Twitters user that breach an injunction could face legal action for contempt of court. How he proposes to deal with the estimate 70,000 people that broke the Ryan Giggs injunction is unclear.

Privacy and the freedom of the press is under scrutiny like never before as technology and the law meet in a head on collision.

In yet another example, if any were needed, Monday evening saw all of the parties involved in the appeal of the NLA Web End User Licence next week in the High Court debate the future of the media and journalism.

Finally, today Justice Minister Lord McNally made a final call for comment on the draft defamation bill (open until 10 June).

‘There is no doubt that the law in this area is out of date. In recent years an increased threat of costly libel actions has placed a chilling effect on the work of scientists, academics and investigative journalists – and this has to stop.

‘But we must ensure that when we reform the law, we strike the correct balance between freedom of expression on the one hand, and protection of reputation on the other, and that is why we have been running this consultation.

We do indeed live in interesting times.