A media industry that holds governments to account “strengthens democracy” and “enriches society”, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said, as he emphasised the importance of freedom of speech and a free press in the UK.
He added: “I will say that politicians and the media will always clash, it’s a law of nature, as much as night follows day. And I won’t always like what you write, or the questions that you ask, I won’t always agree with what you say, or the way that you represent the Government. But that’s OK.”He joked that, in response, journalists might not enjoy the Prime Minister “always finding a way to mention that inflation is going down”.
Editors, academics, lawyers and journalists came together at the conference in central London to debate the key opportunities and challenges facing the journalism industry. “Democracy depends on the ability to air our views, and to challenge and interrogate people’s standpoints, and to learn from different perspectives and experiences.