Amal Clooney has been announced as Britain's Special Envoy on Media Freedom, appointed by UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, and will work to 'strengthen legal mechanisms to protect journalists', after 2018 saw 99 people killed, 348 detained and 60 taken hostage by non-state groups.

The human rights lawyer and wife of George Clooney will also act as Chair of a new panel of legal experts to 'counter draconian laws that hinder journalists from going about their work', and commented 'I welcome the UK government’s focus on this issue at a time when journalists are being killed and imprisoned at record levels all over the world and I look forward to working on new legal initiatives that can help to ensure a more effective international response'.