In 1909, Sir Harry Brittain KBE, the brainchild of the Commonwealth Press Union, successfully organised the first Imperial Press Conference.

Soon afterwards, he founded the Empire Press Union which later became the Commonwealth Press Union.

Sir Harry lived to see his brilliant concept grow into an organisation whose membership includes over 1,500 newspapers and news agencies throughout the Commonwealth. His name lives on in the form of the annual Harry Brittain Fellowship.

To find out more about Sir Harry Brittain, click here



The CPU has around 750 members in 49 countries, including newspaper groups (with several hundred newspapers), individual newspapers news agencies throughout the Commonwealth.

These are represented with the CPU by their proprietors, publishers or senior executives.

For details on membership, click here

• To uphold the ideas and values of the Commonwealth
• To promote, through the press, understanding and goodwill among members of the Commonwealth
• To advance the freedom, interests and welfare of the Commonwealth press and those working within it by:
  • monitoring and opposing all measures and proposals likely to affect the freedom of the press in any part of the
  Commonwealth
  • working for improved facilities for reporting and transmitting news
  • promoting the training of all involved in the Commonwealth's press.