Media Quotes of the Week: From the 37 heads of state shamed as predators of press freedom to selling off Channel 4 stinks of vindictiveness

Reporters Without Borders [RSF] secretary-general Christophe Deloire on the publishing of a gallery of heads of state or government who crack down on press freedom: "There are now 37 leaders from around the world in RSF’s predators of press freedom gallery and no one could say this list is exhaustive. Each of these predators has their own style. Some impose a reign of terror by issuing irrational and paranoid orders. Others adopt a carefully constructed strategy based on draconian laws. A major challenge now is for these predators to pay the highest possible price for their oppressive behaviour. We must not let their methods become the new normal.”

• Nearly half (17) of the predators are making their first appearance onthe 2021 list, which RSF is publishing five years after the last one, from 2016.

Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema after Dutch crime reporter Peter R. de Vries, known for his work in exposing the criminal underworld, was shot after leaving a television studio, as reported by Reuters: "He was seriously wounded and is fighting for his life. He is a national hero to us all. A rare, courageous journalist who tirelessly sought justice."

Nick Cohen in The Critic on journalist Catherine Belton's book Putin's People over which she and her publisher are being sued in the London libel courts by Russian billionaires: "I am reviewing a book that cannot be reviewed. Libel lawyers tell me that, if I recommend that you read it, I could open this magazine and myself to court action. Not in Russia where the judiciary has been the loyal servant of the Kremlin since the early 2000s, but here in England, a land we once assumed possessed a modicum of freedom."

The Russian Journalists’ and Media Workers’ Union (JMWU) in a statement after Russian authorities raided the apartments of investigative journalists of the online outlet Proekt in Moscow, said it was: "Outraged by the unlawful actions of the security officials and demands to immediately stop the 'libel' case and the persecution of Proekt employees, as well as other Russian investigative journalists.”

BBC Radio Ulster TV and BBC Radio 5 presenter Stephen Nolan, after a Twitter troll apologised and agreed to pay a six-figure damages sum for making defamatory remarks about him: "This  individual had been running a malicious campaign designed to undermine me and hinder my journalism. I am deeply grateful to the BBC, who will always judge me fairly on its editorial standards rather than the lies this individual attempted to propagate."

Channel 4 News presenter Cathy Newman, quoted by Press Gazette: “Online abuse is just totally dehumanising. There’s no other word for it really. When I got death threats and had my home address put online I didn’t feel like a human being. I felt as if I was being eviscerated by a pack of dogs in the street. It was really stressful for me, it was really time-consuming to deal with as well, but it was also really stressful for my family particularly because my teenage daughter came across some of the abuse online.”

Kelvin MacKenzie on Twitter: "Hilarious that Sarah Vine should ask for privacy about her marital woes when only a week ago in her MoS column she invaded her own privacy by pouring a thinly disguised bucket of shit all over Gove. She is paid a fortune to tear people apart and does it well. The biter bit...The Sun has known for months about the Gove-Vine separation but chose not to publish it as the Cabinet minister was a MoM ( mate of Murdoch)."

• Sun on Sunday political editor David Wooding on Twitter: "This is categorically not the case. Several papers had heard the rumours but none had the proof and MG's team issued constant denials. I suspect you know what happens when you print things that you can't prove are the truth."

Sara Fischer on Axios on the media rebounding in the U.S.: "About 963 newsroom jobs have been lost so far this year — down 91% from the 10,576 cuts through the same period last year, according to new data." 

The big picture: "Other factors, like record advertising growth and the speedy return of live events, suggest the media industry is rebounding quicker than it originally anticipated."

Why it matters: "A year ago, media companies were reeling from the early effects of COVID-19 — scrambling for loans and laying off thousands while hoping to make it through a possible recession. Now, things are looking up, mostly because the economy didn't collapse." 

Driving the news: "New data from Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. suggests that while many media jobs are still being lost, hundreds are starting to be added. So far this year, media employers in U.S. have announced 725 new hiring plans, compared to just 12 this time last year."

Chris Matheson, shadow minister for digital, culture, media and sport, in The Times [£]: "Sadly, this government has a track record of rolling over for foreign-owned tech and media companies. They talk of 'global Britain' but the reality is selling off great British institutions such as Channel 4 to foreign owners, whose understanding of the UK is limited and whose loyalty is trumped every time by the demand for a hefty return. This plan stinks of petulance, vindictiveness and ideology in the face of facts. Labour will oppose it. But expect big opposition too from anyone who still supports the ethos of public service broadcasting, and from our world-beating independent TV production sector and the wider creative industries. They know an anti-British idea when they see it."

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