Paul Dacre had his say at the Society of Editors Conference. Now Max Mosley, the man whose sex life Mr Dacre considers a legitimate topic for newspaper reporting and condemnation, has retaliated in the Guardian. Does Max have a point?

Yes, but he oversimplifies Dacre’s argument. Max ignores the importance of sensation in rendering significant journalism attractive to a mass audience. By doing so he overlooks journalism’s role in the democratic process. He is also guilty of exaggerating the extent to which parliamentary scrutiny has really been applied to the development of privacy law. Are there any grounds for optimism? I suspect a majority of MPs on both sides of the House of Commons agree instinctively with Max, but they may still fear the wrath of the Daily Mail enough to be cautious. Let’s hope so.