This year's Media Democracy Festival is on Saturday 14 March at the Clore Centre, Birkbeck, University of London*, Central London. Free registration tickets are available here We're delighted to announce that Jeremy Corbyn, … [Read more...]
New Report: Who Owns the UK Media?
We produced our first comprehensive report on media ownership in the UK back in 2015 when we argued concentrated ownership was a significant problem for any modern democracy. In 2019, we produced an updated version that suggests that, not only does concentrated ownership persist but that the problem may be getting worse. This report shows that just three companies (News … [Read more...]
Interventionist agendas and media absences
The media have still not learnt their mistakes from the Iraq War. The consequences could be disastrous argues guest blogger Sam Jacobsen ahead of the session on media coverage of war and terror at the Media Democracy Festival. It will make a big difference to the United States economically if we can have American oil companies really invest in and produce the oil … [Read more...]
Towards a non-profit social media: the digital public library project
A guest post from Breezy Brian Gregg of Canada's Digital Public Library Project There is a need for a nonprofit universal free digital streaming service funded by general taxes, which does not surveil people using the service nor expose them to advertising. This project is about promoting the idea of creating such a service. Your on-line service will be a … [Read more...]
Democratise the BBC!
by Des Freedman With the resignation of Tony Hall as director general, there is talk of an ‘existential crisis’ at the BBC. The corporation is facing yet more budget cuts and the further centralisation of commissioning. Hall’s departure follows Boris Johnson’s threat to boycott the Today programme and Samira Ahmed’s … [Read more...]
Ofcom dismiss complaints of BBC bias
After more than 12 weeks deliberation, Ofcom have this week announced that they will not be investigating the BBC's controversial Panorama edition on antisemitism in the Labour Party. Broadcast five months ahead of last December's general election, the programme was the third Panorama edition in four years focused on, and wholly critical of Jeremy Corbyn's leadership of the … [Read more...]
Public interest solutions to data abuses
by Angela Phillips and Eleonora Mazzoli This is the first of our posts for 2020 in which Prof Angela Phillips and Eleonora Mazzoli reflect on some potential solutions - including constraints on micro targeting and the development of a public service search engine - to abuses of individual users' data. It was originally published on the Media@LSE blog and is reproduced with … [Read more...]
How the media helped Boris Johnson win the election
by Natalie Fenton, chair of the Media Reform Coalition The mediation of messages plays a key part in the outcome of most elections and the United Kingdom's December 12 general election was no exception. Incumbent Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservative Party took the single strapline "Get Brexit Done" and repeated it endlessly. The slogan was plastered on … [Read more...]