Jeremy Hunt: Local papers are vital for our stability

He is backing a week-long Journalism Matters campaign, organised by the industry’s News Media Association and supported by the Express & Star and Shropshire Star.

Mr Hunt says he hopes the campaign “will help us all to champion the importance of media freedom”.

In a message of support for the campaign today, the Foreign Secretary said: “Like many politicians, I don’t always enjoy reading what the newspapers say about me. But I believe a free media is a fundamental requirement for a stable and healthy society.

“By holding authority to account and allowing the free exchange of ideas, journalism acts as a powerful force for progress. When everyone is able to share their ideas, a society benefits not just from the brains of the people who happen to be at the top, but from the originality and creativity of the entire population.

“As the home of local and national media outlets with a global reputation, I want Britain to play its part in championing media freedom worldwide.”

Midlands News Association is Britain’s largest independent regional news company. It publishes the country’s biggest selling regional daily newspaper, the Express & Star, and the Shropshire Star, as well as 16 weekly titles and magazines.

The newspapers’ websites are read by more than two-and-half million unique readers every month.

Mr Hunt says he recognises the role of local newspapers like the Express & Star and Shropshire Star in ensuring politicians are held accountable for their actions at a local and national level.

He says people in the UK should never take for granted the importance of a free press when journalists in other parts of the world risked being arrested or harmed.

Conference

And he says he is taking a pro-active approach by joining a global campaign to highlight the importance of journalism and to encourage authorities to ensure the safety of journalists.

He will also be part of a conference on press freedom that will be held in Britain later this year.

He said: “Too often, journalists have become targets just for doing their jobs.

“Last year, 99 journalists were killed across the world and another 348 locked up by governments.

“The thin red line between open and closed societies is the ability of the press to report freely.

“That’s why I have decided to join forces with the Canadian government to launch a global campaign to protect journalists and promote the benefits of a free media.

“Our overriding aim is to shine a spotlight on abuses and raise the price for those who would murder, arrest or detain journalists.

Corruption

“The highlight of the campaign will be an international conference on media freedom in July, which will see ministers and delegates from across the world gather in London.

“Far from being a cause of instability, professional journalism and a free media allow people the ability to voice their discontents without resorting to violence,” said Mr Hunt.

“Corruption, for example, is one of the biggest sources of anger in many countries.

“Yet powerful people will be far less likely to abuse their positions if there is a real risk of media exposure.”

Mr Hunt says this week’s Journalism Matters campaign in the UK is important as there is a danger that people take our free press for granted.

Trusted

Local newspapers are now often the only form of media routinely attending council meetings, courts, inquests and planning inquiries. He said newspapers and local websites are important in ensuring important decisions are scrutinised.

He added: “I would also like to pay tribute to the news media here in Britain. Journalism is more in demand than ever before as people seek out trusted content, with 48 million people in the UK viewing a local or national news brand every month.

“Trusted local papers play an invaluable role in the communities they serve, holding power to account and providing a public service by covering local authority meetings and the courts.

“Earlier this month, I attended World Press Freedom Day in Ethiopia – a country that has recently made great strides towards a freer media. I was pleased to join the United Nations, the African Union and others in highlighting the progress, as well as the abuses that have taken place in other countries.

“I am delighted to support Journalism Matters and I hope it will help us all to champion the importance of media freedom.”