Leading international newspapers have rounded on a cross-party agreement in Britain to introduce a new beefed up press regulator in Britain with the Wall Street Journal, El Pais, Le Monde and Die Welt all condemning the plan.
In an editorial the Wall Street Journal claimed that the deal was an attempt to place the media ‘under the greater sway of politicians’ that ‘won’t serve British democracy or public scrutiny of government’.
European papers sang a similar tune with Le Monde stating its belief that the new regulator would have ‘little respect for basic liberties’ whilst El Pais branded the move a ‘dangerous experiment’ and Die Welt labeled it a ‘black day’ for the British press.
Plans to implement the agreement are already in doubt however with lawyers warning it could be open to legal challenge and newspaper editors threatening to boycott the nascent body.