The arrest of Julian Assange and extradition charges brought against him set a grave precedent for press freedom. Both the US and UK governments have once again demonstrated contempt and cynicism for some of the basic principles of watchdog reporting in the public interest. Whatever the legal and political manoeuvrings at play in an attempt to disguise this brazen attack on … [Read more...]
Community Radio: Deliberative Media Communities at the Heart of Media Reform
This is the second in our series of invited pieces about the importance of local and community radio. by Rob Watson You would have to be living under a rock not to sense the destructive tension of Brexit in our political debates of recent times. These strains are stretching and distorting our traditional social accords and norms in ways that are intensely polarising and … [Read more...]
Stop the deregulation of local commercial radio
MRC has invited the Local Radio Group to offer its own thoughts on some worrying developments in local commercial radio. A further comment piece is forthcoming on the impact of community radio. by The Local Radio Group We need to talk about deregulation. Unnecessary and extreme deregulation of the commercial radio industry has recently caused hundreds of job losses. … [Read more...]
Media Manifesto 2019
MRC has pulled together extensive academic research and a number of briefing reports produced by, and in consultation with, a broad range of experts and stakeholders to produce our latest Media Manifesto. It charts a roadmap towards genuine progressive reform that is both practical and radical; replacing legacy frameworks with a media policy fit for the 21st century. It … [Read more...]
Programme for Media Democracy Festival, Saturday 16 March, Clore Centre, Birkbeck, University of London, WC1
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A modest proposal: Why your MP’s voting record can be a platform for strong media democracy
The recently published Cairncross Report on the future of the UK press spoke of a “reduction in public-interest reporting [that] seems to reduce community engagement with local democracy (such as voter turnout) and the accountability of local institutions.” It called for the creation of an Institute for Public Interest News, one of whose tasks might be to … [Read more...]
A Sustainable Future for Journalism? An initial evaluation of the Cairncross Review
By Angela Phillips The Cairncross Review, which is published today, finds that: “Support for public-interest news providers is particularly urgent and justified. In the immediate future, government should look to plug the local gap to ensure the continued supply of local democracy reporting.” It goes on: “Given the evidence of a market failure in the supply of … [Read more...]