CPS issues new guidelines for media cases The Crown Prosecution Service must consider whether journalists have raised "an important matter of public debate" before deciding to bring criminal charges, according to new guidelines. Prosecutors should consider whether the reporters concerned were seeking to expose "serious impropriety," "significant unethical conduct" or "significant incompetence" which would affect the public. The guidelines follow a number of arrests as part of Scotland Yard's investigation into alleged phone hacking, computer hacking, and illegal payments to police and public officials. They were drawn up after a public consultation. Keir Starmer, Director of Public Prosecutions, said: "The purpose of the guidelines is to strike the right balance between the important public interest in a free press and the need to prosecute serious wrongdoing." Mr Starmer said prosecutors must consider "whether the public interest served by the journalistic conduct in question outweighs the overall criminality before bringing criminal proceedings." The guidelines make specific reference to invasion of privacy, an issue which came to the fore last year when the News of the World was found to have hacked the phone of Milly Dowler, the murdered schoolgirl, and a number of celebrities. When assessing the overall criminality, prosecutors should take into account the impact on victims. The guidelines state: "Invasions of privacy can be keenly felt and can cause considerable distress to victims."