Journalism is the lifeblood of British democracy. My government will protect it | Keir Starmer

Whether it is online intimidation, journalists imprisoned abroad or the cynical use of Slapp lawsuits, we will fight any threats to those who hold the powerful to account

Journalism is the lifeblood of democracy. Journalists are guardians of democratic values. These simple facts are so woven into the fabric of our society that we often take them for granted. This year, I fought tooth and nail for the honour of serving our country as prime minister. And at every step of the way, I was robustly held to account by determined, incisive and irrepressible members of the fourth estate. Neither myself nor the now leader of the opposition complained about this. Neither of us turned our partisan supporters against the media. We went about our business, just as all our predecessors have, accepting that this is democracy in action. It was ordinary and unremarkable.

And yet this is not a given. All around the world, journalists put themselves at risk in defence of those values. Journalists such as the Ukrainian Victoria Roshchyna, who brought us the horrific story of Mariupol – now dead in Russian custody. Or the more than a hundred journalists killed reporting the unimaginable suffering in Gaza. Or the BBC’s Gary O’Donoghue taking cover during the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, still broadcasting while lying face down on the ground behind his car. An extraordinary image that brought home the risks and the purpose of journalism: that, through the bravery of journalists, the world sees what it needs to see.

Keir Starmer is prime minister of the UK

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