If you’re British, please don’t read this

Yesterday, the New York Times published a lengthy piece on the evidence being assembled against the airline terror suspects in Britain. The article was far more detailed than any reporting I'd seen previously. It contained direct quotes from the "martyrdom videos" of the accused and technical details of the surveillance operation the British authorities had ...

Yesterday, the New York Times published a lengthy piece on the evidence being assembled against the airline terror suspects in Britain. The article was far more detailed than any reporting I'd seen previously. It contained direct quotes from the "martyrdom videos" of the accused and technical details of the surveillance operation the British authorities had conducted. 

Yesterday, the New York Times published a lengthy piece on the evidence being assembled against the airline terror suspects in Britain. The article was far more detailed than any reporting I'd seen previously. It contained direct quotes from the "martyrdom videos" of the accused and technical details of the surveillance operation the British authorities had conducted. 

It turns out it was too detailed for British eyes. The Guardian reports that anyone attempting to access the story from a British IP address receives the following message:

This Article Is Unavailable. On advice of legal counsel, this article is unavailable to readers of nytimes.com in Britain. This arises from the requirement in British law that prohibits publication of prejudicial information about the defendants prior to trial.

Monday's paper is also not being shipped to Britain and the International Herald Tribune deliberately omitted the story. (The Times explains how it is barring Brits here.)

The Internet frequently collides with Britain's phenomenally restrictive press laws. In 1997, Jack Straw's son was busted selling cannabis to an undercover reporter. But because he was a minor, his name could not be revealed in British papers. It was, however, all over the Internet and the London gossip scene.

James Forsyth is assistant editor at Foreign Policy.

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