ARTICLE 19 mourns the untimely loss of Paddy Coulter, our former International Board Chair, who passed away suddenly on Sunday, 3 November. Paddy was an exceptional leader in the media and development sector who passionately believed in the power of voices to bring about change. We extend our deepest condolences to Paddy’s family and friends and are grateful for his inspiration, humour and friendship he was always so willing to share.
Paddy’s distinguished career spanned over 30 years in the media and in international communications. He was an Associate Fellow of Green Templeton College, University of Oxford, and a partner in the Oxford Global Media consultancy, working on developing impactful communication strategies for international organisations, and media and journalism training programmes. Between 2001 and 2007 he was the Director of Studies at the University of Oxford’s Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, responsible for the pioneering Reuters Journalism Programme.
He was formerly the Director of the International Broadcasting Trust, producing over a hundred television programmes for the BBC and other leading broadcasters. In 1996 he was presented with the Gold Award by the United Nations Correspondents Association in New York, and in 2000 was awarded an OBE ‘for services to development awareness’.
Paddy dedicated 9 years to ARTICLE 19’s International Board and 6 years to ARTICLE 19’s Eastern Africa Board. He led the important work to strengthen the organisation following the establishment of our regional offices, believing passionately in the importance of ensuring they could meet the freedom of expression challenges their countries faced. He worked hard to support the expertise on our boards too, attracting high-calibre trustees who continue to shape ARTICLE 19’s role in the world. His guidance and vision has left a lasting impact and made our organisation stronger.
ARTICLE 19’s Executive Director, Quinn McKew, reflected on Paddy’s legacy. ‘As we mourn Paddy’s passing, we also celebrate his extraordinary life and the person he was – a man full of kindness, warmth, humour, and deep expertise. He had a profound belief that powerful truths needed to be heard, and these truths needed powerful allies. Under his leadership, ARTICLE 19 grew to be one of those allies. He was deeply, wonderfully human and held the organisation to the same standards of compassion and intellect.’
Paddy will be sorely missed, yet his commitment to building connections to create real change will continue to guide all of us at ARTICLE 19.