Broadcaster Cathy Newman aimed a swipe at US president Donald Trump as she spoke about the increasing danger that journalists face around the world.
She said that the White House leader, known for his controversial opinions and unfiltered social media posts, was responsible for encouraging negative attitudes towards the media.
Her comments came at the Attitude Pride Awards in central London on Friday, which handed out 10 prizes to people from all backgrounds, some of whom have faced serious and even life-threatening prejudices or prosecution in their battle for freedom of sexuality.
Speaking about other forms of discrimination in the modern world, she said: “A lot of journalists feel that they are under attack, and tragically a lot of them around the world are dying for the sake of their job.
“It doesn’t help when you have a president of the United States appearing to incite violence against journalists, or at the very least stoking mistrust against journalism.
“I think it is very damaging and it’s become more and more important to stand up for what journalists do day in and day out.”
The Channel 4 News presenter added that the industry has undergone huge changes in recent years that have seen Britain vote to leave the EU, Mr Trump elected as US president and fatal terror attacks in the UK.
“People didn’t necessarily see all the shocks that happened in the last 12 months especially, and we are trying to assess whether we are doing our jobs correctly and tapping into these emerging trends to emerge successfully in the future,” she said.
“Journalists are feeling that they have to do more for less, which is challenging, but it’s also an incredibly exciting time because there are so many news stories happening around the world every day that I struggle just to draw breath.”
.@Channel4News's @cathynewman presents our next award #AttitudePrideAwards pic.twitter.com/5bfDWjWi8w
— Attitude (@AttitudeMag) July 7, 2017
This year’s Pride in London celebration, which will come to a head with the world-famous parade on Saturday, marks 50 years since homosexuality was partially decriminalised in the UK.
Newman continued: “These events are really important to celebrate because there is still a lot of stigma, and worse, targeted at gay people around the world.
“We must fly the flag in Britain as an open and tolerant country that celebrates diversity and equality.
“There are countries where you can’t live openly as a gay man or woman because you are under so much threat and repression – in some places increasingly so.”
