Journalists and Media Workers: Safety and Security

Baroness Mobarik Excerpts

Thursday 24th April 2025 Lords Chamber

Asked by

[Baroness Mobarik]

To ask His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking, as a member of the Media Freedom Coalition, to ensure the safety and security of journalists and media workers worldwide.

[Baroness Mobarik (Con)]

My Lords, I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to raise the important and pressing issue of the safety and security of journalists and media workers worldwide. Of course, the UK is a member of the Media Freedom Coalition and has a sincere commitment in this regard, but around the world there are more and more examples which illustrate that we are collectively falling short.

We live in a world where anyone can potentially be a target for those whose political views may differ. Politicians can be sanctioned by hostile actors, and many colleagues in this House and the other place would testify to that. Charities are de-banked, businesspeople are falsely maligned and individuals are intimidated and silenced the world over by autocratic regimes, and even by so-called democratic allies, often with little between them in the way of tactics. That is the chilling reality of today’s world. So one can imagine the strength of character and courage required to be a journalist or media person in a conflict zone, striving to discover the real facts of the situation on the ground.

Brave men and women risking their lives for the truth should be both honoured and protected, for freedom of the press is not merely a democratic ideal but a cornerstone of democracy. It is a guardian of accountability, a check on power and often the only voice for communities in conflict and crisis that might otherwise go unheard. Yet, around the world, that voice is increasingly under threat. The 2024 World Press Freedom Index paints a stark picture. Journalists are being silenced at an alarming rate: they are harassed, intimidated, detained and even killed simply for doing their job.

The United Kingdom, a founding member of the Media Freedom Coalition, has both a moral duty and a strategic interest in defending global press freedom. We must not only continue to champion media freedom globally, but redouble our efforts, especially as autocratic regimes and armed actors increasingly view the press as an enemy rather than a custodian. Here, I offer just a few of the many examples shared with me by Internews Europe, an international NGO I am happy to support.

In Afghanistan, since the fall of Kabul, there has been an escalating wave of repression. Dozens of journalists have been arrested, tortured or forced into hiding by the Taliban. In 2021 alone, Internews evacuated and helped to resettle 62 journalists and media workers facing extreme risk. In Sudan, since civil war erupted in 2023, Sudanese journalists have faced harassment, detention and exile. Yet they offer the most vital of lifelines, for in times of conflict, access to accurate, timely information can mean the difference between life and death by helping people avoid danger or find safe passage.

In Myanmar, local journalists have been eternally enterprising, committed and resilient in their efforts to bring information to the people of Myanmar. Yet 35 were imprisoned in 2024, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. With international media banned and internet shutdowns frequent, these individuals continue to do brave, risky and vital work, such as reporting on the recent earthquake.

The UK can make a meaningful impact in four key areas. First and foremost, there is diplomatic pressure, where we have some influence. The global media freedom initiative, launched with Canada, is commendable, but diplomacy must be matched with consequences. When Governments jail journalists or shut down media outlets, they must know that it comes at a price. Targeted sanctions and co-ordinated international condemnation must be tools we use more frequently. Will the Minister tell the House what specific diplomatic actions the UK has taken in the past 12 months against Governments known to be suppressing the media?

Secondly, there is giving direct aid where needed. Noble Lords will be aware that legal intimidation, dubbed “lawfare”, is now one of the most pervasive threats to media freedom. Journalists are being buried under lawsuits intended to drain their resources and silence their investigations. These strategic lawsuits against public participation—SLAPPs—affect all of society, but especially journalists. Anti-SLAPPs campaigners want a change in the legislation to stop such actions. A change in the law received backing from the previous Government but failed to make it through Parliament before the election last July.

Online harassment, especially against women journalists, is another growing front. Will the Minister explain what the Government are doing to expand support for legal defence, cyber protection and emergency relocation through the Global Media Defence Fund and what plans there are for revisiting the legislation that would have been introduced had there not been an election?

Thirdly, there must be a long-term investment in healthy information ecosystems because access to high-quality information for all citizens underpins our own and international development success. For organisations such as the BBC World Service, adequate, long-term, sustainable funding at the forthcoming spending review is critical to enable it to continue its crucial work.

Fourthly is the issue of accountability. More than 80% of journalist murders go unpunished. It is a statistic that should shake us to our core, but it seems these days to be merely a footnote. I repeat: 80% of journalist murders go unpunished. This impunity emboldens perpetrators and corrodes international norms. It must end. We must strengthen international mechanisms for investigating and prosecuting these crimes and ensure that those who seek to silence the press through violence are brought to justice. In accordance with the recommendations from the Netherlands feasibility study, we should support the creation of an international investigative standing body to combat impunity for crimes against journalists.

We cannot afford to be passive. Reporters Without Borders found that more than half of the journalists murdered in 2024 were targeted in conflict zones. Additionally, 550 journalists are currently imprisoned globally, a 7% increase from 2023. This trend is a clear and chilling signal of escalating repression. In Gaza, the Israel-Hamas war is also a war on journalists. According to the Guardian Media Group, since October 2023, at least 170 to 232 journalists and media workers have been killed in Gaza, the vast majority of them Palestinian. More than 380 have been wounded and at least 84 have been arrested in an unprecedented attack on journalists’ ability to do their job.

Now, 18 months on from the start of the war, almost all international journalists remain blocked from independently reporting on the conflict from inside Gaza, leaving local reporters as the only source of on-the-ground information. As has been said before, when journalists are silenced, so too is the voice of the people. A free and independent press is not only a fundamental human right but a necessary condition for peace, stability and prosperity. In a world increasingly defined by crisis and conflict, can the Minister assure me that His Majesty’s Government will rise to meet this moment by investing in the safety and resilience of journalists who risk everything to keep truth alive?

I look forward to hearing from the Minister and to working with colleagues in this House to ensure that our commitment to the safety and security of journalists remains unwavering.