Media Freedom Coalition

Baroness Anelay of St Johns Excerpts

Wednesday 25th March 2026 Lords Chamber

Asked by

[Baroness Anelay of St Johns]

To ask His Majesty’s Government what their priorities are for strengthening the work of the Media Freedom Coalition during their term as co-chair.

[The Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Baroness Chapman of Darlington) (Lab)]

My Lords, the Government recognise the need for a strong collective voice for countries committed to free media, especially in today’s fragmented world. The Media Freedom Coalition provides that voice. The UK will raise its profile and expand its reach as a truly global partnership. We will foster exchange of expertise and drive timely, effective advocacy. We will explore viable ways to support public interest media, to navigate the opportunities and risks that stem from AI and other new technologies, and address the challenges faced by women journalists.

[Baroness Anelay of St Johns (Con)]

My Lords, in extending the reach of the work of the Media Freedom Coalition, of which the Government are co-chair, what progress do Ministers expect to make with regard to securing the safety of journalists who are working in conflict-torn Sudan and also the Iranian journalists who are in exile, some of them in this country, who face threats to their lives every day?

[Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)]

There are many examples that the noble Baroness could have selected, but those two are particularly pertinent at this time. Clearly, we do everything we can that is necessary to keep journalists safe in this country—that is a commitment that I do not think any Government of this country would ever shy away from. In Sudan, the situation is incredibly precarious. We work alongside our allies and partners on the ground to try and make sure that journalists there can do their jobs safely, because we are getting far too little information out of the country about what is happening. It is a very difficult situation, as the noble Baroness knows. We could equally talk about Gaza, or many other contexts, where we are having similar challenges. That ability to report freely is absolutely essential, in terms of us knowing what is happening but also holding those responsible to account.