Eric Pickles: we should be 'very reluctant' to bring in state media regulation "Some of the characters of the British press is that it's good at exposing corruption, and it's good at going to places where other press wouldn't," he told the Murnaghan programme on Sky News. "I think it was Thomas Jefferson who said: "For a free society to operate, then the river of a free press had to flow without restriction."" So I think, given that I think the press are looking towards finding ways the end result of offering a good way in which people who have got a legitimate complaint can find a resource, then that's right. We should be very, very, very reluctant to take on legislation. But it's a balance and my view is we should always balance in favour of a free press. His comments come after Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, said Britain's freedom from corruption is "largely thanks to the free, dynamic irreverent and independent media." At a launch of the Free Speech Network, he called on people to "fight to keep it this way." John Whittingdale, the chairman of the culture, media and sport select committee, spoke at the same meeting of his worries that state regulation would be an "incredibly dangerous step." Michael Gove, the Education Secretary, also told Lord Leveson during his evidence that "the cure might be worse than the disease" in relation to further regulation. Labour politicians have been more enthusiastic about the idea of state regulation for the media. Harriet Harman, the deputy leader of the Labour Party, today said self-regulation has "failed" and the press cannot carry on with "business as usual." We don't want any obstruction on press freedom... I have always argued for press freedom. But she added: "We may need a statute to underline a truly independent press freedom."