Inappropriate and thoughtless

Who urged Reuters to sign this Armed Forces Covenant? It is clearly inappropriate for a news organisation whose stated principles include independence and impartiality to endorse.

Why did the company do it? I fear thoughtlessness akin to Boris Johnson’s off-the-cuff remark “she was just teaching journalism” which did Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe no good in Iran.

Many of us retired Reuters journalists worked with the principles of impartiality and independence in mind for decades, sometimes in hostile countries. It’s hard to contemplate the potential difficulty and damage the company’s action could cause for our working successors. I share the objections and outrage voiced in the 11 November editorial on The Baron and in comments by many colleagues. I would join in any attempts to press the company to rescind its action. ■