Trial by media is a hackneyed phrase, deployed from time to time to condemn an excess of zeal, usually by the tabloid press. Often, offence has been taken wrongly, but the behaviour of the Daily Mail on Friday in branding five young men as the murderers of Stephen Lawrence, the black A-level student stabbed to death in south London in 1993, is the genuine article. The five have not been convicted of the crime. After a prolonged, if not particularly skilful police investigation, they were charged with various offences relating to Stephen Lawrence's death. They were discharged by the law courts. Last week they chose to remain silent at the Coroner's inquest. They were acting within their rights. None the less, their pictures appeared on the front page of the Daily Mail under the headline "Murderers". Subsequent reports showed frames from police surveillance video footage showing that at least two of the five had a taste for long knives and racial violence, and hatred of black people. That is disquieting, revolting even in this case, but it does not justify condemning them as murderers.

Four leading cable programmers are in talks to form a united front in the looming battle over cable carriage contracts in the UK pay-television industry.

Colin Stagg, acquitted by an Old Bailey judge two years ago of murdering Rachel Nickel, yesterday requested pounds 4,000 to show evidence he says proves he did not commit the crime.

Memories of a murder: the lover of Rachel Nickell describes his continuing struggle

Sue Montgomery says Mark Prescott has the answer to today's Fillies' Mile

Daily Mail & General Trust, the media giant controlled by Lord Rothermere, is in negotiations with BSkyB to develop a television channel for broadcast on satellite, it emerged last night.

The Government yesterday backed down in the face of concerted pressure from ITV companies, withdrawing a controversial amendment to the Broadcasting Bill that would have outlawed teletext advertising by Channel 3 franchises.

MATHEW HORSMAN

Businesswoman of the Year: From cattle stations to West End

It's games galore as E-On launches.

Sir: I am surprised that in your interestingly argued article (19 April) on the disillusionment of the "Tory press" with John Major, you should choose to quote part of the Mail on Sunday's leader column out of context. This gave the wrong impression of the paper's conclusions.

The Duke of Roxburghe, said to be Scotland's richest aristocrat with a pounds 75m fortune, received a public apology yesterday over a newspaper's reference to an untrue rumour that his second wife had left him because of his homosexual relationship with his butler.

Letter from a killer: Moors murderer writes to Independent denying she has ever been `hand-in-hand' with Rosemary West

Today's decision on Channel 5, tipped to go to UKTV, the highest bidder, will ignite a desperate search by the channel's backers to find additional equity partners, sources said.