In the aftermath of The Guardian’s publications of leaks from Edward Snowden, the reactions from the UK government are becoming more and more bizzare. Earlier, counterterrorism legislation was misused to detain the partner of a journalist. Now a Royal Charter has been signed, which is by some described as the end of more than 300 years of press freedom. We certainly hope this will not stop the press from the important task, to inform the public about what the government is actually doing. Democracy is not working if voters are prevented from knowing the truth.