Winston Churchill remains one of the defining political figures of the twentieth century. While his leadership during the Second World War against dictatorship and genocide in Europe was central to his role in pushing for the establishment of the Council of Europe, his earlier experiences as a young man also resonated with his pushing for the defence of human rights, democracy and freedom of expression.
Before Churchill's Nobel prize for Literature, before the Battle of Britain, before the Gallipoli landings, Winston Churchill worked as a journalist and was imprisoned for his work.
Failed in politics, Churchill hacked journalism
Upon leaving the army, Winston Churchill ran for the UK parliament in a by-election in 1899. The people of Oldham in the north of England, however, returned a Liberal Party candidate instead. So he decided to try his hand as a journalist.
He took a commission with the Morning Post, a British newspaper, and went off to South Africa as a correspondent for the Second Boer War, which was in its initial stages.
Detention as a journalist in Pretoria
While reporting from a British military expedition in South Africa, Churchill was captured by Boer forces. He was taken to a prisoner-of-war camp in Pretoria and held there, despite his formal protests to the Transvaal authorities.
After some four weeks of detention, the future British prime minister made a daring escape from imprisonment. He travelled across difficult country in what was hostile territory to reach the safety of Portuguese East Africa (the future Mozambique). Churchill would go on to describe this formative experience in his book From London to Ladysmith via Pretoria.
The whole episode brought Churchill to considerable public prominence for the first time. It marked a turning point in his career. It also reinforced his personal appreciation of individual liberty, freedom of the speech and the press and resilience - values that would later underpin his political leadership and advocacy for democratic governance.
Churchill's contribution to the idea of European Unity
In the aftermath of the Second World War, Winston Churchill emerged as a leading proponent of European reconciliation and cooperation. In his speech at the University of Zurich in 1946, he called for the creation of a "United States of Europe," emphasising the need for lasting peace, shared democratic principles and closer political collaboration across the continent.
Although Churchill was not among the formal founders of the Council of Europe when it was established in 1949, his vision and political influence were instrumental in shaping the intellectual and political climate that led to its creation. The organisation embodies many of the values he promoted, including human rights, democracy and the rule of law.
Informing citizens and speaking truth to power
Winston Churchill reported on several conflicts apart from the Boer War in the late nineteenth century, including in Cuba, India, and Sudan. His work reflected an early understanding of the essential role of a free press in public life. His experience as a correspondent exposed him to the realities of war and imperial politics, while also demonstrating the power of reporting in informing citizens and shaping public debate.
The Council of Europe and the protection of journalists
Since its establishment, the Council of Europe has played a central role in promoting and safeguarding freedom of expression and media freedom across European countries in line with the principles that informed Churchill's early journalistic work and later political vision.
Key elements of the Council of Europe's work in this area include a Europe-wide legally binding protection of freedom of expression under Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which gives wide protection to the work of journalists in imparting information to the public. This right is supervised by the European Court of Human Rights.
Another key mechanism is the Platform for the protection of journalism and safety of journalists, which reports on and helps address threats to journalists, including violence, harassment and undue restrictions on media activity.
More subtly, the Council of Europe helps European countries develop guidelines and policy instruments to strengthen media pluralism, editorial independence and ethical journalism, by improving legal frameworks and practices to ensure a safe and enabling environment for journalists.
Journalism and democracy
Winston Churchill's life - from journalist and war correspondent to statesman and advocate of European unity - illustrates the enduring connection between freedom of expression, democratic resilience and international cooperation. His vision contributed significantly to the emergence of a European system dedicated to the protection of fundamental rights that the Council of Europe continues to uphold and advance today.
Ensuring that journalists can operate freely and safely is a key strut of maintaining, in the face of severe challenges, our democratic societies across Europe.
