William Horsley is CFOM’s International Director. He has a leading role to promote CFOM’s global mission to strengthen international protections for free and independent media and freedom of expression through research and analysis, advocacy, topical public events and seminars and policy advice to governments and media. He also engages with inter-governmental organisations, such as UNESCO and the Council of Europe.
His International Director’s Column focuses on issues of media freedom across the world alongside providing a snapshot of the advocacy work that William does. You can find his pieces below.
A landmark decision for press freedom across the Commonwealth
By William Horsley, CFOM International Director and Executive Committee member of the Commonwealth Journalists Association 12 December 2022 A meeting of Commonwealth Law Ministers in Mauritius ended on November 25 with agreement (see para. 24) to adopt a set of...
UN conference hears lawyer’s call for the Commonwealth to “give teeth” to protections for journalists at risk
By William Horsley, International Director of CFOM, University of Sheffield The Role of Commonwealth Governments in Journalism Safety Years of inaction by Commonwealth governments in response to violent assaults and excessive restraints on the work of independent...
Hungary’s “Catch 22” media dilemma
By William Horsley, CFOM International Director Zsombor György has a Catch 22 problem. The editor in chief of Magyar Hang, Hungarian Voice, has declared that the newspaper will go out of business this summer unless it finds a fresh injection of income. In Hungary’s...
When media and politics merge, journalists become “the enemy”
By William Horsley, CFOM International Director The European Union claims it has understood that the demise of free and independent media spells the death of democracy. Europe, it’s said, has “learned the lessons” from being duped for years by Putin’s victim-blaming...
Message from Mariupol: “Russian journalists, the blood of the dead is on your hands”
By William Horsley, CFOM’s International Director What responsibility should be borne by journalists who knowingly propagate lies which promote and enable the mass killing of civilians in war? That question came into stark relief when Anna Murlykina,...