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Week ending January 18, 2014

WAN-IFRA - World’s Press Examines UK Press Freedom - January 17, 2014
from Larry Kilman/WAN-IFRA

Responding to international concerns surrounding the situation for press freedom in the United Kingdom, the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) has concluded a series of high-profile meetings with prominent individuals and leading organisations representing multiple interests during a two-day fact-finding visit to London, held over 15-16 January.

“Our visit has been unanimously welcomed as a timely and much needed initiative at a moment of great uncertainty for the future of the British press,” said WAN-IFRA CEO, Vincent Peyrègne.

“Our mission confirmed differences of opinion in terms of how the introduction of legislation governing the press will impact press freedom. It highlighted serious concerns regarding the independence from political involvement in that process, and how implementation of the legislation that underpins the Royal Charter could potentially be abused to restrict a free press both here in the UK and abroad.”

Of particular concern to the mission was the British government’s reaction to the Guardian newspaper’s reporting of National Security Agency leaks provided by Edward Snowden. The delegation expressed its solidarity with the position of Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger after his appearance before members of parliament in December 2013 to answer to claims the newspaper’s reporting methods threatened British national security. Mission delegates reiterated their support for the Guardian’s publication of an issue that is clearly of great public interest – not just for the UK but worldwide.

The mission highlighted WAN-IFRA’s concern that general confusion surrounding changes to the self-regulation system for the press in the United Kingdom, coupled with the government’s chilling intimidation of the Guardian, is sending a negative message to the international community. That foreign governments may cite the current British example when reforming their own regulatory processes, as well as the inspiration they may take in how to treat investigative journalism, remain of particular concern and risks causing serious repercussions worldwide.

During its two day fact-finding visit, the delegation met with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Maria Miller MP; John Whittingdale MP, Chairman of the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee; leading human rights lawyer Lord Lester; Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger; the Independent newspaper group; the Telegraph Group; Associated Newspapers; the Newspaper Society; the Newspaper Publishers Association; the Society of Editors; the Commonwealth Press Union Media Trust; the Press Complaints Commission; Ipso; Article 19; Index On Censorship; English PEN; the Hacked Off group; and leading academics and media commentators.

A report detailing the mission’s findings, providing a mapping of the various positions and an outline of the major differences and concerns will be published in February.

Previous press freedom missions have been to countries such as Ethiopia, South Africa, Libya, Yemen, Tunisia, Mexico, Honduras, Ecuador, Colombia, Guatemala, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Myanmar, but this is the first ever mission to the United Kingdom.

WAN-IFRA - Global Press Freedoms Organisations begin Press Freedom Mission to the United Kingdom - January 15, 2014
from Larry Kilman/WAN-IFRA

Amid deep international concern about press freedoms in the United Kingdom, an unprecedented international mission to London begins today to investigate the British government’s actions relating to newspaper regulation and the handling of revelations of state surveillance.

Top-level meetings are being held with the Secretary of State for Culture Maria Miller MP; John Whittingdale MP the Chairman of the Culture Select Committee; Guardian editor, Alan Rusbridger; freedom of expression and civil society groups; professional bodies; industry representatives; and academics to discuss worrying developments in the UK.

The mission has been organised by the Paris-based World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA). Chief Executive, Vincent Peyrègne said:

“The WAN-IFRA membership is deeply concerned by the British authorities’ treatment of the profession of journalism and its attempts to control the public debate.

“The British government’s actions have far reaching consequences across the globe - particularly within the Commonwealth - and any threats to the independence of journalism in Britain could be used by repressive regimes worldwide to justify their own controls over the press.

“We will endeavour to investigate all elements that threaten the United Kingdom’s position as a bastion for free and independent media with the same rigour as we have approached other international press freedom hotspots in nearly 70 years of defending freedom of expression worldwide.”

The delegation will meet with as many different organisations as possible in order to publish a report in February outlining its conclusions that will be disseminated to other parts of the world.