United Kingdom

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) have joined their affiliate, the National Union of Journalists, UK and Ireland (NUJ), to welcome a call by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media for a re-opening of the investigation into the murder of Sunday World journalist Martin O’Hagan in September 2001. On Friday Dunja Mijatović...

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) today has criticised the UK government’s hasty move to rush through a controversial data retention law that will allow the government to have greater control of personal data of citizens and journalists. “It is shocking that the UK government is pushing through a law that has just been invalidated by the European Court of Justice (ECJ),” said...

The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) has urged the British government to “take steps to ensure it upholds the high standards of press freedom expected from a leading democracy.” WAN-IFRA on Tuesday released the results from a fact-finding delegation of international editors sent to the United Kingdom between January 15 and 16 this year. “The lack of any real...

The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned by today's ruling by the U.K. High Court that said David Miranda was lawfully detained under antiterrorism legislation at Heathrow airport last summer. "This ruling risks bracketing journalistic activity together with terrorism," said CPJ Deputy Director Robert Mahoney. "The judges themselves acknowledged that Miranda's detention and the seizure of...

Guardian News and Media will scrap its international print editions later this year as part of its new “digital first” strategy, according to Press Gazette. In an announcement made July 1 the company said the last international editions of The Guardian and The Observer – which are printed at five sites in New York, Frankfurt, Madrid, Malta and Cyprus – will be published on 1 October 2011. Some...

There are now more than 100,000 digital subscribers to The Times and The Sunday Times one year after it introduced its paywall, owners News International claimed, according to Press Gazette. Some details: [ Link] At the end of June The Times and The Sunday Times had 101,036 monthly digital subscribers– a 28 per cent increase from 79,000 in February 2011. The figures include subscribers to all...

The Isle of Man Examiner is to end more than 131 years as a broadsheet newspaper to instead adopt a tabloid format, says a Press Gazette report. The Examiner, one of three titles produced by the Johnston Press-owned Isle of Man Newspapers, will switch to tabloid format on May 10. The weekly paper has been a broadsheet since 1880 when it was founded by Samuel Keown Broadbent, a Methodist who vowed...

The BBC Caribbean Service is making its final broadcasts, ending seven decades of programming for the region. The service is being shut as part of budget cuts announced by the BBC World Service in January. Excerpts: [ Link] BBC managers say they have had to make tough choices because of a 16% cut in UK government funding. But one critic called it a short-sighted decision, showing the BBC did not...

Arianna Huffington is to launch a UK edition of the Huffington Post this summer, as the US news and current affairs website recently acquired by AOL moves to expand internationally. The multi-millionaire, who sold Huffington Post to AOL for USD 315m in February, told the MediaGuardian Changing Media Summit on Thursday that the takeover meant she could accelerate plans to hire journalists and...

An alliance of media businesses opposed to Rupert Murdoch's bid to take full control of BSkyB said it is "fanciful" to hope Sky News will be kept independent after the proposed takeover, the Press Association has reported. Excerpts: [ Link] The coalition - including BT, Guardian Media Group, Associated Newspapers, Trinity Mirror, Northcliffe Media and the Telegraph Media Group - argued that...