September 2020: NHS workers support symbolic XR press action
In response to a recent letter in the Telegraph penned by 44 MPs, 120 health professionals have penned a letter in full support of the symbolic actions of Extinction Rebellion last week, which temporarily delayed several print newspapers for a few hours.
The action was performed to raise awareness of a lack of journalistic freedom in much of the press, especially when reporting on the science of global heating which will cripple our NHS if we continue on our current trajectory. Journalists who can see the critical importance of the issue and want to write more hard hitting pieces about it are often stifled. We understand the need for editorial control, but are very concerned that 83% of the print media is in the hands of 3 companies. If such a small number of companies have the power to pay for their voices to be heard over everyone else’s, then we do not have true free speech at all.
The amount of power this small group holds over our democracy has been made very clear by the actions of our prime minister, who met with Rupert Murdoch, the head of NewsCorp and a known climate change denier, the very day he decided to run for office. Furthermore, the recent threats made by a minority of MPs against Extinction Rebellion should concern the public, especially in the light of warnings given by the council of Europe regarding the UK’s lack of press freedom.
We call for an independent review of the power of the large press monopolies, as we believe their existence contradicts the basic tenets of democracy, threatens diversity of expression, and our relationship with science.
| Dr. Lynne Jones OBE, Child Psychiatrist, Cornwall Dr Will Stableforth, Consultant Physician, Royal Cornwall Hospital. Dr Alex Turner, Paediatrician, Bristol Annie White, Head of Nursing, Cambridge Dr Donna Holt, GP, Somerset Dr Kirsten Shukla, Child Psychiatrist, St Albans Dr Honey Smith, GP, Sheffield Dr Chris Newman, GP, London Dr Patrick Hart, GP, Bristol Dr Matt Sawyer, GP, Darlington Dr Kirsty Morgan, Emergency Medicine Doctor, Scotland Maggie Fay , Dementia Specialist Nurse , Rutland Dr Lizzie Harris, Clinical Geneticist, Newcastle Dr Angharad Spencer, Emergency Medicine, Manchester Dr Stefan McKenzie, Psychiatrist, South Yorkshire Dr Clare Andrews, GP, London Dr Sue Kenneally, GP, Cardiff Dr Juliette Brown, Psychiatrist, London Dr Alina Mingham, Junior doctor, Leeds Dr Sarah Gentry, GP Trainee, Norfolk Dr Samson Kendall, Junior Doctor, London Dr Jim Cavet, Consultant Haematologist, Manchester Dr Arla Gamper, GP trainee, Bristol Dr Rachel Bate, GP, Bristol Dr Hannah Orrell, GP Trainee, West Scotland Dr Gemma Newman, GP, Ashford Dr Amelia Cussans, Psychiatry Trainee, London Dr Faye Harrison, GP, Bristol Dr Tom Allport, Paediatrician, Bristol Dr Sarah White, Junior Doctor, Leicester Dr David McKelvey, GP, Salford Dr Elmer van der Hoek, GP, Colchester Dr Victoria Bowler, GP, Bristol Dr Gwenllian Daniel, Junior Doctor, Manchester Professor Robert Marshall, Exeter University College of Medicine and Health Dr Laura Taylor, GP, Leicestershire Dr Olivia Davies Junior Doctor, Poole Dr Jennifer McArthy, GP, London Dr Deepa Shah, GP, London Dr Terence Matthews, Public Health Consultant (retired) Dr Shireen Kassam, Haematologist Dr Juliet Bottle, Acute Medicine Registrar, Ealing Hospital Katherine Thurlow, 3rd Year Medical Student, Brighton Dr Rebecca Redwood, GP, London Charlotte Munro, Occupational Therapist Anna Bunten, Advanced Nurse Practitioner, Peterborough Dr Margaret Jackson, GP, North Yorkshire Sophie Pammenter, Deputy Ward Sister, Oxford Dr Katy Gillham, GP, Bath Dr Dan Rainbow GP, St. Ives, Cornwall Dr Marion Steiner, GP, Bristol Suryamani Layton, Phlebotomist, Cambridge Dr Sam Freegard, retired GP Dr Jude Nixon, Junior Doctor, Nottingham Nina Finley, MSc One Health, Norwich Dr James Chan, Emergency Medicine Doctor, Leeds Mary Matthews Infection Control Nurse, London (Retired) Melissa Benyon, Neurological Physiotherapist, Cornwall Zoe Rawlence, Specialist Nurse, Cornwall Dr Sarah Benn, GP , Birmingham Mr Andrew Stevenson, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Somerset Dr Eleanor Cooke, Psychiatrist, London Dr Hannah Campling, Psychiatrist, London Dr Rosa Roberts, Psychiatrist, Bristol Jo Hindley, Midwife, Birmingham Dr Sian Ashby, GP, Glasgow Dr Grace Thompson, GP Gloucestershire | Victoria Sullivan, Community Midwife, London Dr Hayley Pinto Consultant Addiction Psychiatrist, Norfolk Professor Trevor Thompson GP and educationalist, Bristol Dr Christelle Blunden, GP, Southampton Tracy Lyons, Pharmacist, Bournemouth Steve Fay, Clinical Specialist Neurology , Leicester Dr Maria Foulds, GP, Bradford Dr Rachel Cottam, GP, Brighton Dr Angela Nicholas, Child Psychiatrist, Dorset Dr Emma Radcliffe, GP, Tower Hamlets Dr Tom Nutting, Psychiatry trainee, Bristol Dr Helen Thomas, GP Bristol Dr Elin Roberts, GP, North Wales Dr Jack Williams, Junior doctor, Cornwall Dr Torben Heinsohn, Junior doctor, London Dr Claire Farrington, GP, Bristol Dr Tom Lawy, GP, Sheffield Dr Sarah Chitty, GP registrar, Bristol Dr Mike Tomson, GP (retired), Sheffield Dr Natasha Askaroff, junior doctor, Cornwall Dr Tanya Howgrave-Graham, GP, Swindon Dr George Naish, Junior Doctor, Cornwall Dr Suszee Hill, Junior Doctor, Somerset Dr Helen Angel, GP, Cornwall Dr Alison Flanagan GP ( ret), Cornwall Mr Phil Flanagan ENT consultant (ret) Cornwall Dr Teo Hoon Seong, consultant anaesthetist, Manchester Dr Bing Jones, Haematologist (retired), Sheffield Dr Gabrielle Green, former Paediatric trainee and Clinical Research Fellow, Oxford Dr Sue Crimlisk, Child Psychiatrist, South Gloucestershire. Dr Callum Macphee, GP trainee Lewisham Fred Ehresmann, Senior Lecturer , Mental Health Nursing, UWE Bristol Margita Shukla, 3rd Year Medical Student, Brighton Dr Sofia Reynolds, Emergency Medicine Doctor, North Bristol NHS Trust Dr Pippa Munro, GP Gloucestershire Dr Rebecca Hall, GP, Somerset Sarah Peters, 5th year medical student, University of Oxford Dr Lesley Black, GP trainee, Bristol Isabel Palmer, Clinical Scientist, London Dr Annabel Headdon, GP, Bristol Dr Peter Lillie, GP trainee, Bristol Dr Jack Milln, Endocrinologist, London Dr Cliff Kendall, Medical Officer Dr Nadia Audhali, Paediatrician , London Dr Mangala Patil Mead, Medical Consultant, St Albans Dr Catherine Zollman, GP, Bristol Dr Jan Power, GP, Cornwall Dr Jane Kostelnik, GP, Exeter Dr Zoe Richmond, GP trainee, Bristol Dr Mark Russell, retired GP. Maria Gabauerova, Student Mental Health Nurse, Guildford Kudakwashe Chifamba, Student Mental Health Nurse, Guildford Dr Kawita Schur, GP Cornwall Dr Thomas Downs, Acute Medicine Doctor, Ysbyty Gwynedd Dr Barbara Kenney, retired GP Bristol Dr Alice Clack, O+G Consultant, London Sarah Conniffe-Jones, Palliative Care Physiotherapist, Cornwall. Dr Emma O’Neill, Palliative Care Doctor, Leeds Dr Conor Byrne, Consultant Nephrologist, London Dr Gerard Baker, GP, Manchester Dr Frank Davey, GP, Cornwall Dr Angela Wilson, GP, Oxfordshire Dr Fiona Brennan, Anaesthetist, Cardiff Dr Bernie Borgstein, Paediatrician, London Amber Reeve, Student Nurse, Cardiff Dr Anna Jones, Public health doctor, Brighton |
