The Times [£] in a leader: "With an airy wave of the hand, Boris Johnson dismissed the threatto public interest journalism from the government’s review of the Official Secrets Act. 'Not for a minute' would proposals for lengthy prison terms for journalists and whistleblowers prevent the exposure of scandals of national importance, the prime minister said. This is simply untrue. The proposals contained in the present consultation are the greatest threat to public interest journalism in a generation and Mr Johnson’s assurances count for naught unless it is abandoned."
The Financial Times in a leader: "The fourth estate must be free from the threat of prosecution simply for doing its job. That includes holding the government to account, for which [Priti] Patel’s colleagues have provided more than enough fertile ground. The Home Office’s plans are still, mercifully, at an early stage and are yet to even reach bill stage. Patel’s introduction to the consultation claims the government wants to thwart 'attempts to interfere in democratic processes'. She could start by binning the proposals."
Martin Bright, acting editor, Index on Censorship, in a letter to The Times [£]: "It is indeed troubling that a prime minister who considers himself a journalist demonstrates so little solidarity for fellow members of his trade. Media freedom is an increasingly precious commodity in a world where objective truth is under constant attack. It is to be hoped that Boris Johnson remembers where his loyalties should lie and consigns this ill-considered new secrecy law to the authoritarian dustbin, where it belongs."
British media organisations in a letter to Downing Street requesting urgent sanctuary for Afghans who worked with British journalists, as reported by The Times [£]: “There is an urgent need to act quickly, as the threat to their lives is already acute and worsening. If left behind, those Afghan journalists and media employees who have played such a vital role informing the British public by working for British media will be left at the risk of persecution, of physical harm, incarceration, torture, or death.”
The Financial Times in a leader: "The fourth estate must be free from the threat of prosecution simply for doing its job. That includes holding the government to account, for which [Priti] Patel’s colleagues have provided more than enough fertile ground. The Home Office’s plans are still, mercifully, at an early stage and are yet to even reach bill stage. Patel’s introduction to the consultation claims the government wants to thwart 'attempts to interfere in democratic processes'. She could start by binning the proposals."
British media organisations in a letter to Downing Street requesting urgent sanctuary for Afghans who worked with British journalists, as reported by The Times [£]: “There is an urgent need to act quickly, as the threat to their lives is already acute and worsening. If left behind, those Afghan journalists and media employees who have played such a vital role informing the British public by working for British media will be left at the risk of persecution, of physical harm, incarceration, torture, or death.”
HoldTheFrontPage reports: "A regional publisher is set to spark a digital news war in the UK’s 'major metropolitan centres' with a series of new launches – creating 45 jobs in the process. JPIMedia has announced it is launching new websites to cover Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle and Glasgow, with further launches to follow in London, Birmingham, Bristol and Wales. All eight cities are currently home to news sites run by rival publisher Reach plc."
David Aaronovitch in The Times [£] on the antivaxers [£]: "The most serious threats from this new movement are widespread disinformation (mostly pseudoscience) and violence. A determined culture of countering disinformation — as embraced by the BBC and by this newspaper in employing specialist data journalists — is more useful even than social media takedowns. It just needs to be spread."
BBC News reports: "A public inquiry into the assassination of Maltese investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia has found the state responsible for her death. The report said the state had failed to recognise risks to the reporter's life and take reasonable steps to avoid them. Caruana Galizia died in a car bomb attack near her home in October 2017."
Catherine Belton on Twitter: "I'm incredibly grateful to @HarperCollins (@WmCollinsBooks) and its legal team for their tremendous support and their staunch defence of Putin's People. It would not be possible to defend the book against this claim or write on matters of considerable public interest without them."
Bill Browder in the Telegraph: “This threatens to be the biggest legal pile on I’ve ever seen and it risks deterring future journalists from writing about Putin’s wealth. English libel laws need to be amended to prevent these cases being brought in the future.”
Suzanne Moore on substack: "I have worked for several papers: The Independent, The Mail on Sunday, The Guardian and The Telegraph and although everyone imagines them to be very different, my overwhelming experience is that while the ideological tone comes from the top, most of the people that I have worked with on a day-to-day basis are similar. This is not what many want to hear. They want to hear that the Mail is staffed by evil, small-minded idiots while The Guardian is staffed by living saints. In fact, in many ways these two papers have been the most similar places to work for as they both know who their readers are and reflect them back to themselves."
Irish Times group managing director Liam Kavanagh reporting a 89,688 year-on-year rise in digital and home delivery subscribers: “It was an excellent year in extremely difficult circumstances. We found a new level in paid subscribers, which was very heartening for us. You can’t get a better compliment than a reader paying for your product.”
NUJ Belfast and District branch chair Robin Wilson, on an Amnesty International backed call for a new investigation into the murder of journalist Martin O'Hagan (pictured) in Lurgan nearly 20 years ago: “It is unconscionable that as the 20th anniversary of Martin’s murder approaches no one has yet been brought to justice for it. We believe that an independent investigation should be initiated into his killing at a matter of urgency. It’s vital that those who attack journalists and our right to report are brought before the court. Impunity sends a signal, especially in a context where journalists are subject to recurrent hate speech and threats, that perpetrators of such abuse need fear no legal consequences. "
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