Professional journalism, media freedom integral to democracy: UK Consul

Rosy Cave, UK’s consul general to Erbil, delivered the following during the launch of Rudaw TV's Bestoon Talk show on Thursday:  

“Hello everyone. It's a pleasure to be here. Thank you very much for inviting me here today.
 
And congratulations... on the launch of the Bestoon Talk show. I think it's a brilliant concept. I grew up in a household where my father worked on current affairs programmes for the BBC and it was very normal for all of us to constantly talk, sometimes shout back at the television, challenging and questioning what we were watching. So I'm really pleased to see and learn about this really important opportunity for key political leaders and decision makers to engage in constructive discussion and challenge with young people, the future of this country, across the KRI [Kurdistan Region of Iraq] and wider Iraq.
 
I'm really lucky to have met and worked with some great journalists and media organisations throughout my career, including here during my first few months in this job.
 
This has included efforts to build the capacity of journalists reporting on issues such as small arms and light weapons, linking individual events to the bigger picture, including international commitments and standards, and to ensuring that reporting on sensitive issues such as conflict-related sexual violence is done appropriately, not re-traumatising victims, survivors in the process or putting them at further risk.
 
I've also worked in and on contexts where journalists, especially female journalists, have been targeted, experiencing physical and online abuse, harassment, and sometimes even worse.
 
Professional journalism and media freedom are important. They are integral to democracy, global security and prosperity. They let people know what is going on, exposing them to new issues and informing people's views, behaviours, and actions.
 
Professional reporting is also an important way of holding people and organisations to accounts. Updating on progress against commitments.
 
That's why the UK is committed to media freedom and is proud to be a founding member of the Media Freedom Coalition. The Media Freedom Coalition champions media freedom and is a partnership of countries working together to proactively advocate for media freedom at home and abroad, advocate for the safety and security of journalists and media workers, and hold to account those that harm journalists and severely restrict them from their day job.
 
With fifty members, the Media Freedom Coalition works closely with civil society, legal experts and international bodies like UNESCO, as well as with journalists and media workers. So, in line with our commitment to media freedom, including freedom of expression, I hope this new show will be an exemplar of good journalistic practise and encourage open and lively debates. I'm very much looking forward to watching the first episode and congratulations again.”