A MEDIA executive has told an international conference that attacks on press freedom in the UK have had an impact on the rest of the world.
Lord Black of Brentwood, executive director of the Telegraph Media Group, warned the Leveson Inquiry and a Royal Charter on the press were dangerous for both the British media and other countries.
Speaking to the Annual Congress of The World Association of Newspapers, he said: "In short, the press has been subject to the full force of the state's panoply of powers.
"Not only has this been hugely dangerous for the press in Britain, it has robbed us of all moral authority to be able to try to help countries battling authoritarianism in establishing a free press."
Lord Black pointed to comments made by President Rafael Correa of Ecuador as an example of Leveson's international impact.
He said: "The comments should make the authors of the Leveson Report and the Royal Charter hang their heads in shame.
"'Foreign countries show that Ecuador is right', said the defender of some of Latin America's most repressive media laws."
However, the media boss said it was "not all doom and gloom" for the British press.
He said: "The UK newspaper industry has remained united and strong throughout this assault, and has already established a new self-regulatory body, the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), to replace the Press Complaints Commission.
"IPSO - which should begin work in September - will provide an independent, effective and tough system of regulation for UK newspapers and magazines which we will argue will make unnecessary the need for any further laws."
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