About 300 newsrooms around the world raise UK democracy concerns over Conservative fee to cover party conference.
From Mexico to Vietnam and Australia to South Africa, news organisations, political journalists and TV anchors have added their voice to growing protests about charges for journalists to attend the Conservative Party’s autumn conference. Nearly 300 newsrooms have supported an open letter (published after midnight, 20/06/23) calling upon the conference organisers ‘to scrap or refund the charges and allow fair and free reporting for all.’
They each cover UK politics, relying either on their own domestic reporters, journalists in London or making use of the news material produced by news agencies with operations in the UK. The open letter has been compiled by the Foreign Press Association (FPA), which has been seeking discussions with the party (alongside the Society of Editors, News Media Association and News Media Coalition) about alternatives to what the party says is a charge to compensate the conference organisations for their admin costs.
An FPA statement release alongside the open letter reads: ‘The Foreign Press Association in London, representing international correspondents in print, online, and broadcast media from all over the world, is fiercely opposed to the charging of journalists to attend the Tory Party Conference this Autumn.
We believe that a fundamental tenet of a free and democratic society is allowing journalists – from all over the world – to freely report on matters of public interest. We have not found any comparable charges in any other country in the world, let alone in any other democracy.’
Andrew Moger, CEO of the News Media Coalition, said: ‘Through their independent reporting these newsrooms and foreign journalists contribute to the world view of the conditions of press freedom, democracy and freedom of expression in the UK. The world’s eyes are even more on British politics, matters of governmental transparency and open debate. To ask independent journalists to contribute to the funds of a political party albeit via an administration fee for reporting on a conference staged by the governing party is at odds with the assertation of government ministers that they fundamentally back a thriving press sector and press freedom’.
The FPA added: ‘It is a shame that the UK, part of the Media Freedom Coalition, co-organiser of the very first Media Freedom Conference in the world, a country with a proud tradition of press independence, should be the first to effectively tax journalists for doing their job. As observers of this country we feel the need to speak out. We have been told that the reasons for the charges are administrative, to cover the thousands of no-shows: yet there appears to be no proof of these no-shows and there is no other comparable event that requires journalists to pay for coverage. In fact, this decision sets a dangerous precedent for countries all over the world who will use this decision to justify financial and other barriers to media scrutiny of the political process.
We therefore call upon the Tory party conference organisers to scrap or refund the charges and allow fair and free reporting for all.’
Click HERE to read the FPA Open Letter on Tory Conference Charges
Among the coverage of the FPA open letter is:
- Arab News – Foreign media attack UK Tories over conference charges
- Byline Times – Conservative Party Exempts Selected Media Outlets From Paying To Cover its Conference
- ChardAndIlminsterNews – International news organisations condemn Tory conference ‘tax’ on journalism
- Digital Journal – Foreign media attack UK Tories over conference charges
- France24 – Foreign media attack UK Tories over conference charges
- Ground News – Media accuses UK Tories of stifling press freedom over conference charges
- Ireland Live – International news organisations condemn Tory conference ‘tax’ on journalism
- News 18 – Foreign Media Criticises Rishi Sunak’s Party for Charging Journos to Cover Annual Party Meet
- NewsChain – International news organisations condemn Tory conference ‘tax’ on journalism
- PA Media – International news organisations condemn Tory conference ‘tax’ on journalism
- Shropshire Star – International news organisations condemn Tory conference ‘tax’ on journalism
- Society of Editors – Protest escalates over ‘tax on political reporting’
- The European Conservative: Foreign Media Scolds UK Tories Over Conference Charges
- The Guardian – Tory conference: foreign media groups say accreditation fee undermines press freedom
- The Guardian – Who would pay to hear our drivel? That appears to be the Tories’ logic
- The Independent – International news organisations condemn Tory conference ‘tax’ on journalism
- The Telegraph – Foreign press join calls for Tories to scrap conference fee
- Yahoo!Sport – International news organisations condemn Tory conference ‘tax’ on journalism
- World Association of News Publishers – A dangerous precedent’ – global media groups decry UK political party’s ‘tax on political reporting’
- Wionews – Media accuses UK Tories of stifling press freedom over conference charges
- Zeta Panama – Foreign media attack UK Tories over conference charges
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