A government minister told journalists ‘we’ve got your back’ last night as she linked press freedom to the fight against terrorist group Hamas.

Culture secretary Lucy Frazer praised journalists for ‘protecting the freedom of others’ in a speech at 10 Downing Street.

Addressing a reception to mark Journalism Matters week, she highlighted the role of journalists in calling out anti-semitism, contrasting the failure to do so in Nazi Germany with the present day fight against Hamas.

And she insisted that the combatting of disinformation by journalists was “the sign of a true democracy.”

Ms Frazer, above, told the gathering: “Freedom of the press is not actually about media freedom. It is about our freedom. Through your reporting you are protecting the freedom of others.

“Your fact checked, legal proofed, thorough work, allows truth to prevail in an increasingly uncertain world.

“What you do takes courage..I want you to know that we, in government, have your back. We understand what you are doing and why it is so important.

“It’s why we launched the National Action Plan for the Safety of Journalists. Why we are legislating to make it harder for powerful people to stop the publication of investigative journalism through unscrupulous lawsuits. And why we expanded the National Committee for the Safety of Journalists to deal with these legal threats.

“It’s why we are supporting you through the Digital Markets Bill which should enable you to get fair terms and fair compensation when your work is hosted on digital platforms.

“And it is why we will remove a threat to freedom of the press by repealing S40 so costs are not a bar to investigative journalism.

Ms Frazer went on to issue a warning from the era of Nazi Germany about the consequences of failing to call out conspiracy theories and antisemitism.

She said: “Because of this failure of society as a whole the German people were ready to accept the ‘annihilation of the Jewish race in Europe’ as Hitler infamously put it.

“Your calling out matters because terrorist organisations like Hamas share the principles of terrorist organisations like al Qaeda and ISIS.

“Terrorists use the media as a weapon of war. Truth must prevail. And for that, journalism matters.”