Is the UK Press Free?

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How safe are the traditional freedoms of the UK’s newspapers? Steve Hewlett chairs a BBC World Service discussion with a panel of international editors and correspondents to consider the implications of plans to regulate UK newspapers, in the wake of recent scandals and leaks of security information. Is the UK press going to be subject to state regulation – and what that might mean for its reputation around the world? International editors have been expressing their concern about the possible consequences of new proposed regulations on newspapers in the UK and the involvement of politicians in an area of the media, which has a long tradition of freedom to publish. International concern about what is happening in the UK has been building – editors fear the consequences of regulation for the UK press since its freedom to publish has long been a template for others to follow around the world. Will the criticism of the UK press and new regulations tarnish that reputation and detract from the efforts of others to maintain a free press in their own countries. Picture: British newspapers, Credit: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images