As reported by the Newspaper Society: The delegation will hold a series of meetings including an appointment with Ms Miller on Wednesday to discuss concerns about the Royal Charter and concerns about criticism of The Guardian following its NSA revelations.
Among the delegation of publishers and editors will be World Editors Forum president Erik Bjereger, editor-in-chief of Kristeligt Dagblad in Denmark; WAN-IFRA chief executive Vincent Peyrègne; Zaffar Abbas, editor-in-chief, Dawn, Pakistan; and Roger Parkinson, former president and publisher of the StarTribune.
Other countries represented in the delegation, which will also meet with Shadow Culture Secretary Harriet Harman and John Whittingdale, chairman of the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, include Italy, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Germany and the USA.
Meetings are also set to be held with publications and bodies including Index on Censorship, English PEN, Commonwealth Press Union Media Trust, Society of Editors, Press Association, and Associated Newspapers, The Guardian, and The Independent.
Announcing the mission in October last year, Mr Peyrègne said: “A press freedom mission to the United Kingdom is unprecedented and we cannot underestimate our concern for what is happening.
“It is rather difficult for the United Kingdom to lecture Sri Lanka and others about their press freedom record, when its own actions result in such widespread international condemnation.
“We are concerned that these actions not only seriously damage the United Kingdom’s historic international reputation as a staunch defender of press freedom, but provides encouragement to non-democratic regimes to justify their own repressive actions.”
