Press Gazette has warned the Government that it risks alienating Britain’s journalists if it presses ahead with plans to water down the Freedom of Information Act.
On Tuesday, we presented a petition to 10 Downing Street and the Department for Constitutional Affairs, signed by 1,250 journalists opposing the proposed Freedom of Information and Data Protection Regulations.
Consultation on the proposed law change – which would vastly increase the number of FoI requests turned down on cost grounds, irrespective of the public interest – closed on Thursday.
Nearly 200 newspaper, broadcast and magazine editors have signed the petition, including almost every national newspaper editor.
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National editors on the final list are: Rebekah Wade, The Sun; Colin Myler, News of the World; John Witherow, Sunday Times; Veronica Wadley, Evening Standard; Roger Alton, The Observer; Patience Wheatcroft, Sunday Telegraph; Tina Weaver, Sunday Mirror; Alan Rusbridger, The Guardian; Paul Dacre, Daily Mail; Will Lewis, Daily Telegraph; Robert Thomson, The Times and Mark Thomas, The People.
The DCA is now expected to respond to the consultation within the next three months.
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