aej-uk.orgAEJ UK Section - News Archive

David Barker Normal David 10 97885 2019-03-01T14:24:00Z 2020-06-06T14:02:00Z 2020-06-06T16:41:00Z 4 5867 33443 Microsoft 278 66 41070 9.2720 106 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 6 pt 2 2 MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 false false false EN-GB X-NONE X-NONE ASSOCIATION OF EUROPEAN JOURNALISTS UN ITED KINGDOM Home Brexit Events News Media Freedom AEJ in the UK AEJ in Europe Contact Membership Europe Links INDEX Coronavirus The Present The UK government continues to face questions and criticism as it tentatively tries to emerge from 10 weeks of lockdown and isolation. Despite general approval of many emergency measures and wide support for its lockdown policies, Boris Johnson’s Conservative government has faced growing criticism of how well they were delivered, especially on hospital equipment, personal protective equipment for health care workers, nursing and care homes, and testing and prevention. It continues to face questions about the timing and effect of post-lockdown measures, its on-going virus testing and tracing system, and future protection of the public. And it faces a potential serious loss of public confidence as questions mount and it manages the fallout from a damaging breach of lockdown rules by Johnson’s key adviser Dominic Cummings. Key scientists, health system administrators , medical groups, and education organizations have all raised criticisms. Keir Starmer, the new leader of the main opposition Labour party, has persisted in asking pointed questions in what‘s seen as an effective forensic style . Until his election in early April, journalists carried much of the responsibility for scrutinising the UK government in the first three months of the year as opposition parties struggled to come to terms with the Conservative government’s surprise sweep of seats in December's election. Labour spent all that time electing a new leader and much Opposition scrutiny, first of Brexit and then of the virus crisis, was muted and overwhelmed by a combination of the election result, government manoeuvring, and the complexity of both major issues. That imbalance could end after Starmer won election as Labour leader at the same time as Prime Minister Boris Johnson recovered from a week in hospital including 3 days in intensive care with the Covid-19 virus, and the Queen made a rare unscheduled speech to the British public –only her 5 th in 67 years - and issued another rare message at Easter. Boris Johnson was admitted to hospital after more than 10 days in home isolation because of suspected Covid-19 symptoms and was moved to intensive care a day later. His officials insisted he was still in charge of the government with journalists largely wondering how the prime minister was ill enough to be in hospital but well enough to run the country. The Future There is of course much thoughtful examination about the medium and long term impact of Covid-19 – among others, these series on BBC Radio 4: Fallout and The Briefing Room , Chatham House on democracy in Europe , an Asian perspective on the future of globalization , The Telegraph’s next 100 days in the UK . How will this pandemic change our societies, our economies, our relationships, and our attitudes? And of course it’s raising questions about the EU – particularly from Italy - along with the more general impact on international relationships and multinational organizations. AEJ UK secretary Charles Jenkins has this look at the EU – the good and the bad. The Media The coronavirus pandemic has marked a worrying new wave of serious threats and attacks on media freedom in Europe says the latest annual report of the Council of Europe Platform to Promote the Protection of Journalism and Safety of Journalists. In a report titled “Hands Off Press Freedom: Attacks on Media in Europe must not become a New Normal” the fourteen member press freedom organisations document how several Council of Europe member states have detained journalists for critical reporting, vastly expanded surveillance, and passed new laws to punish “fake news” even as they decide themselves what is allowable and what is false without the oversight of appropriate independent bodies. The report – available in full here – says these threats risk a tipping point in the fight to preserve a free media in Europe and aggravate an already gloomy outlook . And in a statement marking World Press Freedom Day on May 3, Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić urged governments to avoid misusing the COVID-19 situation to silence or hinder journalists. Misuse of emergency measures As many governments have introduced sweeping laws to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic, the AEJ has joined other media freedom groups in two urgent calls to European leaders to protect media freedom. They have called for “determined actions” from the Council of Europe, the 47-nation treaty-based human rights organisation, to protect the free flow of information and journalists’ right to report amid fears of a potentially dangerous slide towards authoritarianism and police-state societies. In particular the open letter cites Hungary - where the prime minister has open-ended powers to rule by decree and journalists and others are subject to prison sentences for promoting alleged “false information” or impeding government orders – as well as Slovenia and the Czech Republic which have suspended usual press conferences open to questions from journalists. “The present emergency situation represents a critical threat both to public health and to the civil and political rights of people across Europe,” said William Horsley, AEJ media freedom representative and AEJ UK chairman. “Now is the time for free and independent media and for all those who believe in basic democratic standards and open government, to combine forces and to uphold the free flow of information and the inalienable rights of everyone as guaranteed under the European Convention on Human Rights.” Please see the open letter here to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, and the current and next presidents of the Committee of Ministers, the organisation’s executive decision-making body. It follows an urgent warning against misuse of emergency laws from the AEJ and partner organisations to the presidents of the European Commission, the European Council, and European Parliament. It emphasizes that the free flow of independent news is essential both to maintain accurate information to the public and to ensure public scrutiny and debate on emergency measures, and notes all such measures must be necessary, proportionate, temporary and strictly time-limited, and subject to regular scrutiny to ensure excessive powers do not undermine democratic balances, including the free press. The urgent letter supports a joint statement from three global special rapporteurs on freedom of expression with the UN, OSCE and the OAS and is signed by: AEJ ARTICLE 19 European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) European Federation of Journalists Free Press Unlimited (FPU) Index on Censorship International Federation of Journalists International Press Institute (IPI) Reporters Without Borders (RSF) The open letter is also available here on the International Press Institute website. Coronavirus coverage There is a global study showing a majority of the public around the world get their information about coronavirus from mainstream media – yet journalists are their least trusted source. Please see this report in the UK Press Gazette and here for more on coronavirus coverage in the UK. The AEJ International site has interesting links to EU coverage of the coronavirus story on its home page . How personal data could contribute to a cure EU response to Covid 19 – every government for itself Virus cartoons Five decisions the EU should make Brexit Musings on “mad Brexit disease” It’s a sad day for Europe but a chance to reform the EU writes AEJ President and Austrian journalist Otmar Lahodynsky. He describes the UK’s exit from the EU as “sl...