Lawyers are using frivolous legal threats as a key tool to intimidate journalists investigating financial misconduct, according to a new report released by a British think tank today. The survey ranked the U.S. significantly lower than the U.K. and European Union member states as an origin country for legal threats. Other than respondents’ home countries, the U.K. was, by far, the most frequent country of origin for legal threats, FPC found. Physical threats and online harassment are another grave concern the report highlights — and such threats affect journalists unevenly across the globe. “The impact is, of course, felt most acutely by the journalist,” the report states, “but the wider repercussions are also felt by society.”

Source: The North Africa Journal November 02, 2020 23:26 UTC