15 FEBRUARY 1957, Page 8

THE NEWSPAPERS have been taking some nasty knocks in the

courts lately, in libel actions, what with the £5,000 Mr. Randolph Churchill took off the People for denigrating him as a journalist, and the £7,500 which the Empire News are pay- ing a doctor for denigrating his work on career. 'There was, of course, no word of truth in the gross allegations made against the plaintiff,' Sir Hartley Shawcross said about the Empire News article, 'and it is only fair to record that the defendants have never at any time suggested that there was'—as nice a back-handed compliment as I have heard for some time. I happened to meet Mr. Randolph Churchill the day after. '£5,000 for a "hack," ' he said; '£7,500 for a "quack."