Uncharitable?

Am I being uncharitable?

Reading the 13 February item New UK funding to support media freedom around the world my first thought was: Here we go again, and so soon after last autumn’s debacle over the aborted Reuters pledge to support members of the British Armed Forces.

This time we have an announcement from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office that the UK government will be providing "up to" £600,000 to fund a new secretariat for an international governmental Media Freedom Coalition and that this administrative support "funded by the UK will be delivered by the Thomson Reuters Foundation."

Obviously media freedom is a subject close to the hearts of all Reuterians, present and past, but should a charity described as an "administrative arm" of Thomson Reuters be prominently involved in backing up a coalition of governments - almost entirely from what is loosely called The West - campaigning on this issue?

Whatever its good intentions, this coalition is bound to be seen, or portrayed, in many other countries around the world as yet another Western weapon to beat them over the head - with Reuters involvement and support.

One could wonder why the UK government, which only recently slashed its pledged aid to developing countries and is itself far from squeaky clean on media issues, should switch its largesse in this direction.

And as for Reuters, why couldn't it focus its support to independent media freedom organisations like the Committee to Protect Journalists or Reporters Without Borders?

As I said, am I being uncharitable? ■