Media Reform Coalition

Media Reform coordinates the work of advocacy groups campaigning to protect the public interest in light of the Leveson Inquiry and Communications Review.

  • Home
  • About
    • Media pluralism
    • Ethical journalism
    • Investigative and local journalism
  • Support
  • Resources
    • Media Activist Toolkit
    • Media Ownership Reports
    • Parliamentary Submissions
    • Other MRC Documents
    • Books
    • Videos
    • Document Library
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Privacy

Frontrunner Jeremy Corbyn Backs Media Reform

July 28, 2015 By Media Reform Coalition

Jeremy Corbyn

Labour Leadership hopefuls Jeremy Corbyn and Yvette Cooper Back ‘Urgent Measures’ to Tackle Media Power

A survey of the nine MPs hoping to take the Leader and Deputy Leader positions in the Labour Party has shown just under half the candidates backing ‘urgent measures to prevent damaging media concentration’ and policies that would ‘temper the power of the largest media companies’.

In the last couple of weeks both Jeremy Corbyn and Yvette Cooper, as well as Deputy hopefuls Ben Bradshaw and Tom Watson, have come out in support of a pledge drafted by the Media Reform Coalition.

Jeremy Corbyn, the veteran left-winger who is racing ahead in the polls, said ‘A society in which 70% of UK newspaper circulation is controlled by 3 wealthy families is clearly unfair and undemocratic. The work being done by the Media Reform Coalition and others is vital in pushing for media plurality which this country is so desperately in need of.’

Across Labour’s political spectrum Yvette Cooper is seen as positioned to the right of Corbyn, but she too has pledged support for ‘new funding for invaluable areas such as local news, investigative journalism, youth media and digital innovation’ as well as measures designed to ‘temper the power of the largest media companies through the introduction of thresholds in specific media markets’.

Commenting on the results, Professor Des Freedman, chair of the MRC, said: ‘This is a great boost for anyone who believes in a free and diverse media. After Rupert Murdoch’s failed BSkyB bid and the phone hacking scandal which rumbles on to this day, many progressives woke up to the fact that extremely powerful media owners are choking our democracy. The Labour party – like the Greens and the Lib Dems in fact – put their money where their mouth was before the General Election with manifesto commitments for media reform. There are Blairites and others whose sense of principle was thrown off course by the election defeat. But after our brief survey, the views coming from the top leadership candidates suggest that media reform still ranks as a priority.’   

Ben Bradshaw spoke from his experience as a former journalist: ‘Media plurality is absolutely essential for a healthy democracy and it is the responsibility of Government to ensure that plurality’. He stressed the need to defend the BBC from the current government’s threats and would make getting a Leveson compliant regulator ‘a priority for the Labour Party’ if elected for the Deputy position.

Tom Watson meanwhile is well known for his campaigning role during the phone hacking scandal and has consistently opposed the abuse of power in the media.

The remaining candidates hadn’t responded as of yet but the MRC said it was confident it can build a conversation with them and take the issue forward. 

The Coalition brings together trade unionists, academics and media activists, among them groups such as the National Union of Journalists, Hacked Off and Real Media.

 

For comments and enquiries contact

Alistair Cartwright, alistair@mediareform.org.uk, 07826 541 052

Jeremy Corbyn’s and Ben Bradshaw’s campaigns teams are also available for comments. Please contact Alistair (above) to be put in touch.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • WhatsApp
  • Skype
  • More
  • Tumblr
  • Pinterest
  • Pocket
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Email
  • Print

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Jeremy Corbyn

Comments

  1. MichaelcCarthy says

    July 28, 2015 at 10:49 pm

    Some detail on what Jeremy understands by media plurality wouldn’t come amiss. A press owned by a larger number of wealthy people could claim to be more plural, but politically could be the same as before.

  2. Brian Mitchell says

    July 30, 2015 at 2:53 pm

    You bet Jeremy.
    The mind-dumbing media and Children’s Tellytubby News needs totally changing. That and education.
    I remember you from my days loaned to you by Kay Beauchamp and Tony Gilbert.
    We need you as our PM or we’re all damned. And not a hospital to put us right!

JOIN THE MOVEMENT FOR MEDIA REFORM

Mainstream media aren’t working for us. Too many are owned by billionaire moguls and are uncomfortably close to government and commercial interests. They don’t represent a diverse range of people and views and they’re completely unaccountable to the audiences they’re supposed to serve. We believe that a flourishing, diverse and accountable media is essential for a healthy, functioning democracy.

For the price of just one cup of coffee per month, you can help support the growing movement for media democracy. Members get priority access to all our reports and events including the annual Media Democracy Festival, as well as being linked to national and local networks to organise on media reform issues.

Support today

Newsletter

MEDIA REFORM TWEETS

My Tweets

Partners

Goldsmiths, University of London
Co-operatives UK
New Internationalist
BECTU
Better Media
visionOntv
MediaWise
LSE Media Policy Project
NUJ - National Union of Journalists
MeCCSA - Media, Communication and Cultural Studies Association
Real Media
Avaaz
Bournemouth University
Unlock Democracy
The Bureau of Investigative Journalism
Community Media Association
Open Society Foundations
Compass
AEJ - Association of European Journalists
The Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust

Copyright © 2021 · Magazine Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok