Lewis Goodall in the Observer: "People have spoken of the fear of the Americanisation (by which they really mean the Trumpification) of British politics. I followed Farage from his first rally to the last and I can assure them, it is already here. The tenor of the rallies, the rhetoric from the stage, the way the party’s messages are communicated. The bitterness, the anger, the contempt of the crowd, the boos for journalists."
Michelle Stanistreet, NUJ general secretary, in a statement welcoming the indication that the High Court is set to quash the warrants against No Stone Unturned documentary makers Trevor Birney and Barry McCaffrey: "We welcome the decision of the High Court and eagerly await the formal quashing of the warrants on Friday. Three High Court judges have vindicated the stance taken by Trevor, Barry and the NUJ. We have said all along that there was no legal basis for the searches and the intrusion into the family life of our members."
Dame Liz Forgan, in the Guardian on former Ham & High editor Gerald Isaaman, who has died aged 85: “Gerry Isaaman is what you mean when you mourn the loss of local and regional papers. He knew his patch, posh and poor. He was a player in local affairs but also a formidable critic of local politicians. He thought global and acted local. And he hired and trained an extraordinary band of future politicians, scholars, and national figures in culture and the media.”
Hunter Davies in the Camden New Journal on Gerald Isaaman: “Gerry was ‘Mr Hampstead’. He had a finger in every pie, knew everyone and everything, and even when he didn’t he knew someone who did. But he didn’t just know the gen, he got involved. He was in many ways the last of the old editors who saw themselves as part of the fabric of the community, with a social conscience, a political nose, who was not just passing through on the way to Fleet Street, to better things, but felt he was here to stay, to serve his parish, his readers, the locality.”
Reach's regionals digital editor-in-chief Alison Gow asked by Press Gazette what she was most proud of: "Playing a small role in the digital transformation of our regional newsrooms. Working in any disrupted industry, at any level, is hard! You can’t ever be complacent or think 'that’s it, we’ve done it' because the world shifts, or what you know of it shifts, and you start the process again. I can’t believe how far we’ve travelled, culturally and operationally – I don’t know what will come next but I feel we are better journalists now. We listen more, react faster, have bigger audiences we talk to more openly and regularly than ever – as a result of the tumult of recent years."
Sky's special correspondent Alex Crawford: "The Sky News crew - clearly identified as journalists - was deliberately targeted and attacked by Syrian regime forces using military drones to pinpoint our location, before launching a series of strikes."
Index on Censorship chief executive Jodie Ginsberg, interviewed by Ray Snoddy in InPublishing magazine, on Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt's plans to join with Canada to launch a worldwide campaign to protect journalists and the media, promoted by a conference in London in July: “I am always cautious about these kinds of initiatives because I worry they are more about talk than action. We haven’t seen a response from the UK on Saudi Arabia on the Jamal Khashoggi killing. There has been condemnation but we haven’t seen any further action or demonstration that perhaps the UK won’t do business with, or otherwise support, countries that systematically harm their journalists.”
Ben Woods in the Sunday Times [£]: "National newspaper the i and more than 200 regional titles could be auctioned off as the owner of JPI Media starts hunting for buyers. A group of bondholders led by GoldenTree Asset Management has appointed bankers at Stella EOC to lay the groundwork for a potential sale of part, or all, of the business formerly known as Johnston Press."
Sabine Dolan, interim executive director of Reporters Without Borders North America bureau: “The latest charges against Assange could be truly disastrous for the future of national security reporting in the United States. We have seen the Espionage Act used far too many times against journalistic sources already. RSF worries that this extraordinary measure by the Trump administration could set a dangerous precedent that could be used to prosecute journalists and publishers in the future for engaging in activities that investigative reporting relies on.”
Alan Rusbridger in the Observer: "Assange is a problematic figure in many ways. But the attempt to lock him up under the Espionage Act is a deeply troubling move that should serve as a wake-up call to all journalists. You may not like Assange, but you’re next."
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Hunter Davies in the Camden New Journal on Gerald Isaaman: “Gerry was ‘Mr Hampstead’. He had a finger in every pie, knew everyone and everything, and even when he didn’t he knew someone who did. But he didn’t just know the gen, he got involved. He was in many ways the last of the old editors who saw themselves as part of the fabric of the community, with a social conscience, a political nose, who was not just passing through on the way to Fleet Street, to better things, but felt he was here to stay, to serve his parish, his readers, the locality.”
Reach's regionals digital editor-in-chief Alison Gow asked by Press Gazette what she was most proud of: "Playing a small role in the digital transformation of our regional newsrooms. Working in any disrupted industry, at any level, is hard! You can’t ever be complacent or think 'that’s it, we’ve done it' because the world shifts, or what you know of it shifts, and you start the process again. I can’t believe how far we’ve travelled, culturally and operationally – I don’t know what will come next but I feel we are better journalists now. We listen more, react faster, have bigger audiences we talk to more openly and regularly than ever – as a result of the tumult of recent years."
Anthony Bellanger, IFJ general secretary: "We are appalled by this deliberate targeting of our colleagues from Sky News and we remind President Bashar al Assad that journalism is not a crime and that he should abide by his international commitment towards press freedom. The Syrian president should be providing the media with the necessary safety to carry out their duties, not treat them as terrorists to be attacked. "
Index on Censorship chief executive Jodie Ginsberg, interviewed by Ray Snoddy in InPublishing magazine, on Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt's plans to join with Canada to launch a worldwide campaign to protect journalists and the media, promoted by a conference in London in July: “I am always cautious about these kinds of initiatives because I worry they are more about talk than action. We haven’t seen a response from the UK on Saudi Arabia on the Jamal Khashoggi killing. There has been condemnation but we haven’t seen any further action or demonstration that perhaps the UK won’t do business with, or otherwise support, countries that systematically harm their journalists.”
Ben Woods in the Sunday Times [£]: "National newspaper the i and more than 200 regional titles could be auctioned off as the owner of JPI Media starts hunting for buyers. A group of bondholders led by GoldenTree Asset Management has appointed bankers at Stella EOC to lay the groundwork for a potential sale of part, or all, of the business formerly known as Johnston Press."
Sabine Dolan, interim executive director of Reporters Without Borders North America bureau: “The latest charges against Assange could be truly disastrous for the future of national security reporting in the United States. We have seen the Espionage Act used far too many times against journalistic sources already. RSF worries that this extraordinary measure by the Trump administration could set a dangerous precedent that could be used to prosecute journalists and publishers in the future for engaging in activities that investigative reporting relies on.”
Alan Rusbridger in the Observer: "Assange is a problematic figure in many ways. But the attempt to lock him up under the Espionage Act is a deeply troubling move that should serve as a wake-up call to all journalists. You may not like Assange, but you’re next."
[£]=paywall
