This is a guest post by Dave Boyle, a experienced community organiser who is trying to revitalise local media from the bottom up. He believes that community ownership of local media groups can make them both profitable and accountable. We…
"[Murdoch said] if we couldn't change our European policies his papers could not and would not support the Conservative government."
John Major at the Leveson Inquiry
I have never asked a prime minister for anything."
Rupert Murdoch
Britain's news is highly concentrated: 75% of Britain's national newspaper circulation is in the hands of 4 companies, while 34% is controlled by just one man, Rupert Murdoch. This kind of concentration has serious consequences for democracy, because it gives the owners and editors of those newspapers huge influence over the political process. Despite Murdoch's denials, John Major's claim that the mogul withdrew the support of his papers in 1997 because he refused to change his policy on Europe is undoubtedly the tip of the iceberg.
In this section you'll find articles on the causes and consequences of media concentration, methods of measurement, and specific issues such as the BSkyB take-over bid and the BBC. You can download our ownership briefing, which includes our ideas about fixed ownership limits and extra obligations for large media companies.
Free workshops on making community-owned media work
It’s time to put media ownership at the top of the agenda
With Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman’s call for a new Communications Bill establishing rules on media ownership, the vast power of a handful of British media owners is back on the agenda. Or at least it should be – though…
The case for caps: how to make media ownership policy work
By Justin Schlosberg Last night’s Radio 4 Media Show featured an interview with shadow culture secretary Harriet Harman where she was pressed by Steve Hewlett on the burgeoning issue of what to do about media plurality. In response, she reiterated…
No, Andrew Gilligan, we do not want content regulation
Have you heard? The Media Reform Coalition is part of a plot by the European Union to take control of the British press. At least that’s what seems to be implied in an article by Andrew Gilligan in this week’s…
One million signatures to protect Europe’s media from ownership concentration
By Carolina Are A group of media experts and activists met in the House of Lords last Thursday for the UK launch of the European Citizens’ Initiative on Media Pluralism. The EIMP aims to get one million signatures in favour…
