Press is a cornerstone of our precious liberties. Never take it for granted
It’s not the first time Extinction Rebellion has targeted its climate anarchism at the wrong people. But this weekend activists went too far when they delayed the distribution of several national newspapers including The Daily Telegraph. As the Prime Minister said, their attack on the free press was unacceptable and incompatible with democracy Countless people went without their morning paper, including elderly and potentially vulnerable readers who rely on them to stay connected and engaged. The protests caused chaos for hard-working staff. Extinction Rebellion is hitting real people – and it should think before it acts.
The group said it was doing it to “free the truth”. But consider the ugly irony of silencing newspapers to protect freedom of expression.
Newspapers play a vital role in upholding this freedom, and in holding governments to account. That’s something we should all care about, regardless of our politics. We are uniquely privileged in Britain to have such a vibrant and diverse press. It stands as a cornerstone of our precious and hard won liberties. We should never take it for granted.
I know the activists have strongly held beliefs, and as the Prime Minister has said, climate change is an issue critical to the future of our country. But when Extinction Rebellion says our newspapers are failing in their reporting on climate change, it’s ignoring the cold, hard facts.
As the Society of Editors pointed out this weekend, newspapers including The Telegraph have dedicated a huge amount of coverage to the subject. Public awareness is at a 10-year high.
And in another myopic irony, by blocking the presses, Extinction Rebellion deprived Sun readers of an interview with Sir David Attenborough, silencing the most passionate of campaigners for our planet’s health.
But as ever for the modern Left, facts take second place to virtue signalling and platform denying. I would have hoped for better from Sir Keir Starmer but shamefully he was slow to condemn the actions while his MPS supported the protesters.
Without robust, quality coverage of affairs, there is a serious risk that people will disengage from the democratic process and lose access to reliable sources of information.
It’s because newspapers play such a vital role that the Government gave them additional support during the pandemic, designating journalists and newspaper employees as key workers.
Evidence suggests the role of trusted news sources has become increasingly important. This year’s Reuters Digital News Report noted that around the peak of lockdowns, trust in news organisations for information on the virus was more than twice that for social media, video sites and messaging apps. Rather than be silenced by the protesters, The Telegraph took down its paywall for the weekend, making its content available to even more readers. I salute that decision.
But to keep our news media thriving, we must support them. Having battled through the disruption of the coronavirus and the threat of long-term media consumer trends, we must not allow them to be censored and attacked by a stupid minority of eco anarchists.
Luckily, there’s a simple way we can show our support for a free press – go out and buy a paper.