https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/14906/britain-guidance-journalists
Policy Exchange’s report on the leaked guidance gives rise for concern. In the words of the report, the guidance, “seems designed to bind the hands of UK newspapers when it comes to reporting on stories relating to Islam and Muslims – with potentially serious long-term consequences for the workings of a free and independent press”. — Policy Exchange Report, “Eroding the Free Press,” by Will Heaven and Sir John Jenkins.
As the Policy Exchange authors write, “In all of this, there seems to be a suggestion that journalists should take a different approach to covering Muslims than that employed towards other faith groups. This all seems remarkably ill-conceived. If we ruled out reporting on matters specific to Muslims not only would we miss some big issues – not least the threat from Islamist extremist terrorism, which continues to dwarf other global terrorist threats – but we would also be unable to report properly on discrimination against Muslims. More generally, we must ask: is it really the role of journalists to consider community cohesion before truth and accuracy? And what are the potential consequences of such an ethos?” — Policy Exchange Report, “Eroding the Free Press,” by Will Heaven and Sir John Jenkins.
“As Policy Exchange has previously pointed out, one of the things that makes the APPG’s attempts to institutionalise an illiberal definition of Islamophobia so unpalatable, is the fact that it resembles a form of blasphemy law, protecting Islam specifically, implemented by the back door”. — Policy Exchange Report, “Eroding the Free Press,” by Will Heaven and Sir John Jenkins.