‘London Calling’: The issue of legal intimidation and SLAPPs against media emanating from the United Kingdom
London is a hotspot for issuing SLAPP cases against journalists stifling media freedom here & abroad
Programme
Unsafe for Scrutiny
The role that journalists play as a public watchdog uncovering information and holding power to account has increasingly been under threat, not only in authoritarian regimes but in democratic societies. Alongside the traditional forms of verbal or written harassment and physical attack, more sophisticated digital threats including surveillance, trolling and targeted smear campaigns have emerged as well as vexatious legal threats, often referred to as strategic litigation against public participation (SLAPPs). Taken together with a marked rise in hostile attitudes expressed by some politicians, who often utilise a ‘fake news’ and misinformation agenda, and attempts to restrict access to information, an environment has emerged in which journalists working to provide public scrutiny have become increasingly unsafe. [Image under (CC)]
Publications in this programme
Reset Required? Evaluating the Media Freedom Coalition after its first two years
The Media Freedom Coalition requires a 're-injection of energy' according to a new evaluation.
Unsafe for Scrutiny: How the misuse of the UK’s financial and legal systems to facilitate corruption undermines the freedom and safety of investigative journalists around the world
This is the second publication produced under the FPC’s ‘Unsafe for Scrutiny’ project.
Unsafe for Scrutiny: Examining the pressures faced by journalists uncovering financial crime and corruption around the world
Report highlights UK's role as top international source of legal threats to journalists
Articles relating to this programme
Re-set achieved? Reflecting on the last 12 months of the Media Freedom Coalition
World Press Freedom Day provides an opportunity to reflect – not only on the escalating threats to media freedom around the world – but also on the state of efforts…
Carole Cadwalladr, Investigative Journalist
“The personal, physical, psychological and professional toll of fighting this case has been profound. But it’s not my win, it belongs to the legal team and the 28,887 people who…
Eliot Higgins, founder of Bellingcat, an open source news agency
“Prigozhin’s SLAPP case against me was one of the most blatant SLAPP cases I’ve encountered, with evidence indicating it was a direct response to EU sanctions against Prigozhin in part…
Catherine Belton, Journalist and Author of ‘Putin’s People: How the KGB Took Back Russia and Then Took on the West’
“The cases really show just how important it is that there are better defences for journalists. No matter how good the sourcing is on some of these claims, and no…
Tom Burgis, Investigative journalist and author of ‘Kleptopia: How dirty money is conquering the world’
“Winning these cases,settling them and making them go away is not a complete victory. There is money that will not be got back that could have been spent on other…
Forensic News, a US based investigative news website, its founder Scott Stedman and others
“Over the last 18 months, I have lived the increasingly too-common life of an investigative journalist who splits his time between researching and writing articles and tending to a lawsuit.”[1]…
Realtid, a Swedish business publication, its editor and two investigative journalists
“We started to do a really basic story, and this is what many people ask, when they look into our case and say ‘Oh, why are you being sued?’ and…
Paul Radu, co–founder of the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP)
“So, how does a Romanian reporter —or, for that matter, any foreign journalist— get sued in the United Kingdom by an Azerbaijani politician for an article about corruption taking place…
Clare Rewcastle Brown, Investigative journalist and founder of The Sarawak Report
“Those wishing to pursue legal action against me in 2017 were advised, according to someone involved in the conversations, that for an outlay of no more than £200,000 I could…
Whistleblowers, like journalists, must be protected as part of the public interest ecosystem
This week Unsafe for Scrutiny’s Project Director, Susan Coughtrie, spoke with Anna Myers, the Executive Director of the Whistleblowing International Network (WIN), about the challenges related to whistleblower protection and…
A New Moment for Defamation Law Reform in Northern Ireland?
Two weeks ago, on 14 May 2021, the UK Government gave its consent to a Private Member’s Bill introducing defamation law reform in Northern Ireland, welcoming it as a step…
British media speak out about legal threats from the super-rich, while UK commitments to tackle financial crime and corruption appear to disappear
Last week, three British media outlets – the Financial Times, openDemocracy and The Observer - published articles regarding the impact of legal threats against journalists. The importance of media speaking…
Crackdowns on investigative journalism in Russia versus the lack of crackdown on corruption in the UK
While Russia is cracking down on investigative journalists exposing corruption amongst its political elites, the UK’s political elites are failing to do enough to crack down on corruption exposed by…
With growing public calls for a Council of Europe recommendation on SLAPP, is now the time for the UK to act on this issue or risk falling behind?
This week Unsafe for Scrutiny’s Project Director, Susan Coughtrie, spoke with Sarah Clarke, Head of Europe and Central Asia at ARTICLE 19, Flutura Kusari, Legal Advisor at the European Centre…
Is the US pulling ahead in the global fight against corruption and what does this mean for investigative journalists?
This week Unsafe for Scrutiny’s Project Director, Susan Coughtrie, spoke with Casey Michel, a US based investigative journalist, and author of the upcoming book American Kleptocracy, to get his insights…
The UK’s new corruption sanctions regime – Can it help end the UK’s role as a global money laundering centre and what role will journalists play?
This spring, the UK’s Foreign Secretary is set to announce a new stand-alone corruption sanctions regime which will give the Government power to impose visa bans and asset freezes on…
How abusive lawsuits block accountability – and what we can do to fight back
Jimmy Savile was first reported to the police in the 1980s. Harvey Weinstein’s first alleged act of rape was in 1993. Lance Armstrong faced his first doping allegations…
Unsafe for Scrutiny: Russian anti-corruption protests, ‘historic’ US anti-money laundering legislation, ‘Chumocracy’ and threats to freedom of information in the UK
As part of our Unsafe for Scrutiny project, the Foreign Policy Centre (FPC) is starting a new series of fortnightly articles focused on topics at the intersection of anti-corruption and…
Unsafe for Scrutiny: Executive Summary & Recommendations
Executive Summary This publication explores the role that the United Kingdom (UK) plays as a hub for the facilitation of global financial crime and corruption, as well as for services…
The UK as a key nexus for protecting media freedom and preventing corruption globally
In January 2020, a libel case against Paul Radu, an investigative reporter and co-founder of the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), was dropped on the eve of the…
A scandal of corruption and censorship: Uncovering the 1MDB case in Malaysia
Those wishing to pursue legal action against me in 2017 were advised, according to someone involved in the conversations, that for an outlay of no more than £200,000 I could…
Investigative journalism in today’s Russia, and why the UK’s stance could actually make a difference
If you were to read only one paragraph to get a feeling of what`s wrong with the setting we have to work in here in Russia, consider this one. Just…
Chișinău to London: A story about big money and small information
When you are a journalist from the poorest country in Europe, you have to write stories about poverty. When you see the poverty deepening for years, while the state elite…
Tracking corruption from the heart of Europe to UK Overseas Territories: murder, death threats and a wall of silence
In February 2018, Europe was shocked by the murder of investigative journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancé Martina Kušnírová. Kuciak, who worked for the Slovak news outlet Aktuality.sk, had collaborated…
How UK anti-corruption groups work with journalists to push for change
The UK has a notorious reputation as a safe haven for the world’s dirty money and for the people who are looking to hide, clean and spend it. A confluence of factors…
The increasing rise, and impact, of SLAPPs: Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation
Strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) are legal actions that are taken not necessarily with the goal of winning in court, but which instead aim to intimidate, to induce fear,…
The UK and media freedom: An urgent need to lead by example
“As we forge a dynamic new vision for a truly global Britain, this Government are [sic] absolutely committed to the United Kingdom becoming an even stronger force for good in…
Unsafe for Scrutiny: Conclusions
While the UK, and its offshore jurisdictions, are not the only locations used for the facilitation of financial crime and corruption, the extent to which the UK is a facilitator…
The Safety of Journalists, a Matter of International Human Rights Standards and Soft Law
Let’s be clear: violence against journalists can stop. It ends with accountability. If States fulfill their duty to protect journalists; if States meet their international commitments, journalists will be able…
Events in this programme
Unsafe for scrutiny – International Anti-Corruption Day event
Unsafe for scrutiny: How the misuse of the UK’s financial and legal systems to facilitate corruption undermines the freedom and safety of investigative journalists around the world. This webinar, held on International Anti-Corruption Day, will launch the Foreign Policy Centre’s latest publication in the Unsafe for Scrutiny series, which will examine the impact that the UK’s continued role as a key facilitator of global financial crime and corruption has ...
More info
Speakers
Clare Rewcastle Brown, UK journalist at The Sarawak Report
Pavla Holcová, Czech journalist, Founder of Investigace.cz and Editor for Central Europe at OCCRP
Ben Cowdock, Investigations Lead at Transparency International UK
Susan Coughtrie, Project Director at the Foreign Policy Centre
Chair: Nigel Mills MP, Co-Chair of the APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax
When
December 9, 2020
5:00pm-6:30pm
Where
The event will take place on Zoom.
Unsafe for Scrutiny: Examining the pressures faced by journalists uncovering financial crime and corruption on the UK’s watch
Investigative journalists from across the world have repeatedly exposed how financial and legal systems – including those in the UK and its overseas jurisdictions – have been abused to facilitate corruption by their ruling elites, opaque businesses and criminal enterprises. They have often done this in the face of significant challenges to their own safety and security. This event, held as part of the Foreign Policy Centre’s ‘Unsafe for Scrutiny’ ...
More info
Speakers
Paul Radu, investigative journalist and co-founder of OCCRP
Oliver Bullough, UK journalist and author of Moneyland
Sarah Clarke, Head of Europe and Central Asia, ARTICLE 19
Susan Coughtrie, Project Director at the Foreign Policy Centre
When
November 2, 2020
4pm-5:30pm
Where
The event will take place on Zoom.
Investigating Corruption: US versus UK – A Widening Transatlantic Divide?
Barely into the start of 2021 and events around the world have brought the question of global corruption and the fight against it sharply into focus. Noticeable is the increasing divergence between governing authorities in the US and UK’s approach towards tackling anti-corruption and money laundering. The new Biden administration has clearly identified corruption as ‘a core national security interest’ and recent ‘historic’ legislation passed through US Congress takes aim ...
More info
Speakers
Tom Burgis, investigative journalist at The Financial Times and author of ‘Kleptopia: How Dirty Money Is Conquering the World’
Casey Michel, US investigative journalist and author of upcoming book ‘American Kleptocracy’
Dr Tena Prelec, Research Fellow with the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Oxford
Dr Sue Hawley, Executive Director of Spotlight on Corruption
Chair: Susan Coughtrie, Project Director at the Foreign Policy Centre
When
April 20, 2021
5:00pm-6:30pm (UK Time)
Where
The event will take place on Zoom.
Suppressing Stories: How legal threats and challenges impact investigative journalism
Legal threats against journalists are far from a new phenomenon. Yet in recent years there has been a rising level of concern about the misuse of legal action to inhibit journalism, particularly by those wishing to prevent exposure of their wrong-doing as opposed to address a genuine grievance. Often described as strategic litigation against public participation (SLAPPs), the aim of such action is to intimidate journalists into not publishing information ...
More info
Speakers
Gill Phillips, Director of Editorial Legal Services, Guardian News & Media
Franz Wild, Editor and Reporter at the Bureau of Investigative Journalism
Jessica Ní Mhainín, Policy & Campaigns Manager, Index on Censorship
Susan Coughtrie, Project Director, Foreign Policy Centre
Chair: Chris Matheson MP, Shadow Minister for Media
When
May 4, 2021
4:00pm-5:30pm (BST)
Where
The event will take place on Zoom.
Don’t SLAPP the messenger
Don’t SLAPP the messenger: Why abusive legal threats and actions against journalists must be stopped Journalists are public watchdogs: by bringing information that is in the public interest to light, they help to hold power to account. But what if powerful or wealthy people wanted to keep their wrongdoings a secret? Abusive legal threats and actions, known as strategic lawsuits against public participation – or SLAPPs, are increasingly being used ...
More info
Speakers
Annelie Östlund, financial journalist
Herman Grech, Editor in Chief of Times of Malta
Justin Borg Barthet, Senior Lecturer at University of Aberdeen
Chair: Bill Browder, Head of Global Magnitsky Justice Campaign
When
June 22, 2021
4:30pm-5:30pm (BST)
Where
The event will take place on Zoom.