National Union or Journalists general secretary Jeremy Dear has urged all the union’s members to sign Press Gazette’s petition opposing changes to the Freedom of Information Act.
The Government is currently consulting on new FoI regulations which – according to the Society of Editors – have the potential to destroy the act.
Press Gazette has urged every news organisation in the country to sign its e-petition and will present the final list of names to 10 Downing Street and the Department of Constitutional Affairs before the end of the consultation period on 8 March.
Dear said: “I am urging all our members to sign the Press Gazette’s petition before it is too late, not just for our own sakes but because future generations of journalists will never forgive us if we let this chance slip away.
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“The Act has been an excellent tool for journalists and has enabled us to uncover important information in the public interest which would otherwise have remained hidden.
“If the Act is allowed to be weakened in this way it will be bad for journalists and it will be bad for democracy. The money the government claims it wants to save is a false economy if it bankrupts our right to open government and slams the door on the public’s right to know.”
To sign the Press Gazette petition, email your name, job title and organisation to dontkillfoi@wilmington.co.uk.
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