Former News Statesman editor John Kampfner has been appointed chief executive of the Index on Censorship, a campaign group that fights for freedom of speech.
The London-based group announced today that Kampfner, who left the current affairs weekly in February after four years in charge, will take up his post on 2 September.
He said: ‘I am delighted to accept this opportunity to help Index acquire the profile and ambition to meet the challenges of an era in which civil liberties, particularly freedom of expression, are facing serious threats in the UK and beyond.”
Broadcaster Jonathan Dimbleby, chair of Index’s trustees, said: ‘As a leading journalist and broadcaster John brings the vision and leadership skills needed to place Index at the centre of the debate surrounding freedom of expression and champion this vital human right nationally and globally.”
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Kampfner, who has written for a range of newspapers and magazines since leaving the New Statesman, will continue his commentating and column-writing activities.
Index on Censorship, founded in 1972, publishes a journal and website and supports journalists fighting media oppression around the world. The Index put its weight behind investigative reporter Shiv Malik’s High Court to protect his sources last month against a police Terrorism Act order.
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