British libel laws are famously favourable to evil people who can afford to pay teams of lawyers to suppress the unpleasant and true rumours that circulate around their names, constantly threatening to make it onto the printing press. So it’s good to hear that English PEN and Index on Censorship have launched a public inquiry into libel legislation. They are calling on editors, publishers, writers and lawyers to come forward with examples of restrictive laws used to “stifle…and chill free expression of all kinds”, reports Catherine Neilan in the Bookseller, and plan to organize a conference around the issue in the spring.