The Commonwealth Press Union (CPU), formerly the Empire Press Union, was an association composed of 750 members in 49 countries, including newspaper groups (with several hundred newspapers), individual newspapers, and news agencies throughout the
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the Co ...
(Britain and mostly its former colonies). They were represented within the CPU by their proprietors, publishers or senior executives.
The aims and objectives of the organisation were to uphold the ideas and values of the Commonwealth; to promote, through the press, understanding and goodwill among members of the Commonwealth; and to advance the freedom, interests and welfare of the Commonwealth press and those working within it by i) monitoring and opposing all measures and proposals likely to affect the
freedom of the press
Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the fundamental principle that communication and expression through various media, including printed and electronic News media, media, especially publication, published materials, should be conside ...
in any part of the Commonwealth, ii) working for improved facilities for reporting and transmitting news, and iii) promoting the training of all involved in the Commonwealth's press.
The CPU offered some of the Commonwealth's most prestigious awards, including the Commonwealth Press Union Fellowship in International Journalism and the
Harry Brittain
Sir Harry Ernest Brittain, Order of the British Empire, KBE, Order of St Michael and St George, CMG (24 December 1873 — 9 July 1974) was a British journalist and Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician.
Biography
Brittain was born i ...
Fellowships.
The origin of the organisation went back to 1909 with the staging of the first Imperial Press Conference. This led to the creation of the Empire Press Union, which later became the Commonwealth Press Union.
The CPU was wound up on 31 December 2008. According to a press release on the former organisation's website, a new organisation, provisionally named the Commonwealth Press Training and Education Trust was formed in January 2009 "to carry on the vital work of the CPU".
Commonwealth Press Union Media Trust
The Commonwealth Press Union Media Trust aims to continue to promote the spirit of the CPU. CPU Media Trust will provide a "virtual" successor to the old organisation, taking forward its aims and aspirations to support the 21st century's media.
The CPU Media Trust has been established to defend the interests of the Commonwealth media. The Trust is committed to a professional, ethical and effective media across the Commonwealth. Its primary concerns are supporting media freedom and media rights, the training of journalists in the skills necessary for them to enable their work and a thorough understanding of media law and the establishment and support of self-regulatory bodies throughout the Commonwealth.
Lord Black of Brentwood
Guy Vaughan Black, Baron Black of Brentwood (born 6 August 1964) was executive director of the Telegraph Media Group from 2005 to 2018 and since 2018 has been Deputy Chairman of the Group. He is a Conservative life peer member of the House of ...
of the Telegraph Media Group chairs the CPU Media Trust board of Trustees. The other members of the board are
Patsy Robertson
Patsy Blair Robertson (28 August 1933 – 18 August 2020) was a Jamaican journalist and diplomat, who was Director of Information at the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Official Spokesperson for The Commonwealth from 1983 to 1994. She played a s ...
,
Bob Satchwell,
Derek Smail,
Ian Beales,
Robin Esser
Robin Charles Esser (6 May 1933 – 6 November 2017) was a British newspaper executive and former editor.
After doing National Service and studying at Wadham College, Oxford University, where he edited the '' Cherwell'' newspaper, Esser began ...
,
Phil Harding and
John Spencer. Also currently
Lindsay Ross
Lindsay may refer to:
People
*Clan Lindsay, a Scottish family clan
*Lindsay (name), an English surname and given name, derived from the Scottish clan name; variants include Lindsey, Lyndsay, Linsay, Linsey, Lyndsey, Lyndsy, Lynsay, Lynsey
Places ...
, former Director of the CPU, is Consultant to the Trust.
Online training
The CPU Media Trust is now offering a selection of online training courses which are accessible to all. The courses are in basic journalism & ethics, business journalism and newsroom management, and are designed to be conducted and completed online.
This is a key pillar of the Trust's work, using modern communication tools to strengthen the skill base and increase the professionalism of the Commonwealth media.
Media Law Project 2011
The promotion of democracy and human rights has been a major undertaking by the Commonwealth and the Secretariat for decades. Yet as democracy has increased throughout the Commonwealth, media freedom has decreased. This project is aiming to create a report that will be presented to Commonwealth ministers and officials in an effort to create momentum for changes across the Commonwealth.
See also
*
Commonwealth Broadcasting Association
The Commonwealth Broadcasting Association (CBA) is a representative body for public service broadcasters throughout the Commonwealth, founded in 1945. A not-for-profit non-government organisation, the CBA is funded by subscriptions from 102 memb ...
References
External links
Commonwealth Press UnionSociety of Editors (SoE)Archives of CPU at London University
{{International broadcasting organizations
Commonwealth Family