Eurocrat’s threat to muzzle British Press
A SENIOR Eurocrat sparked fury yesterday after attacking the British Press for its Brexit coverage and suggesting there could be a clampdown.
Vera Jourova made the apparent threat after the front page of a newspaper mocked up EU leaders as Prohibition-era gangsters after their ambush of Theresa May at the Salzburg summit.
The Sun’s article was singled out by the EU’s justice commissioner, who claimed Brexit is the ‘best example’ of the media causing ‘division’.
In a speech in Vienna, Mrs Jourova, 54, said: ‘Almost daily we could find examples of stories that are spiced up to identify an enemy, that paint a picture black and white. The traditional media are under enormous pressure from the digital world, they lose readership and advertising revenue, they have to cut staff which means less fact checking, less quality reporting. And I’d advocate a European approach to media based on quality and smart regulation, if needed.’
Tory MEP David Campbell Bannerman said: ‘It’s quite scary. It’s signalling the beginning of a process of censorship.’
But a spokesman for Mrs Jourova denied she was threatening a crackdown on freedom of speech, pointing to a section in which she said the ‘[media] do a job that is uncomfortable for us, but we have to respect the crucial role they play for democracy’.