An "unprecedented" press freedom mission to Britain by the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) begins today.
Representatives of the organisation are holding a series of meetings in London "to investigate the British government's actions relating to newspaper regulation and the handling of revelations of state surveillance."
Among the people they expect to interview during the three-day mission are culture secretary Maria Miller, culture select committee chairman John Whittingdale and the Guardian's editor, Alan Rusbridger.
The delegation, led by WAN-IFRA's chief executive, Vincent Peyrègne, will also speak to freedom of expression and civil society groups, professional bodies, various industry representatives and academics.
In a WAN-IFRA press release, Peyrègne is quoted as saying that the organisation's membership is "deeply concerned by the British authorities' treatment of the profession of journalism and its attempts to control the public debate."
He said the government's actions "have far-reaching consequences across the globe – particularly within the Commonwealth." He continued:
"Any threats to the independence of journalism in Britain could be used by repressive regimes worldwide to justify their own controls over the press.
We will endeavour to investigate all elements that threaten the United Kingdom's position as a bastion for free and independent media with the same rigour as we have approached other international press freedom hotspots in nearly 70 years of defending freedom of expression worldwide."
Peyrègne's mission colleagues include representatives of newspapers in Denmark, Norway, Finland, Canada, the USA and Pakistan.
Previous WAN-IFRA press freedom missions have been to countries such as Ethiopia, South Africa, Libya, Yemen, Tunisia, Mexico, Honduras, Ecuador, Colombia, Guatemala, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Burma. But this is the first mission to the United Kingdom.
The delegation hopes to publish its UK report in February.
Source: WAN-IFRA
