A new article by the chair of the Media Reform Coalition, Professor Natalie Fenton, for the Culture Matters blog, argues that coronavirus has exposed the need for a radically different structural orientation in our media. Coverage of the pandemic has revealed mainstream media to be an explicit channel for government PR spin, further propelling the revolving door between … [Read more...]
MRC submission to ‘Future of Public Service Broadcasting’ inquiry
Immediately after the outbreak of the pandemic, the Culture Select Committee launched an inquiry into the funding, regulation and remit of public service broadcasting. Given recent attacks on the BBC in particular by senior members of the government, including the prime minister, MRC believes it is vital both to defend the principle of public media but also to emphasise, once … [Read more...]
Zombie economics, post Covid-19 and the media video
You can watch a full recording of our first Media Democracy Festival lunchtime debate involving Grace Blakeley, Noni Makuyana and Mike Berry on our YouTube channel here. The event was first streamed on Wednesday 3 June 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNgYYv-CUUo … [Read more...]
Media Democracy Festival 2020 moves online – watch it now!
The 2020 Media Democracy Festival was cancelled because of the pandemic. Instead, in June 2020, we hosted a series of short lunchtime sessions on key themes concerning media democracy and social justice in the light of Covid-19 and beyond. All sessions are now available to view on our YouTube channel. Our first event was on 'Zombie Economics, Post Covid-19 and the media' … [Read more...]
Media in Lockdown debate
Media Reform Coalition partnered with Liverpool's Writing on the Wall Festival to host a debate on Tuesday 19 May to discuss the role of the media in the Covid-19 pandemic. Speakers were Kerry-Anne Mendoza (editor at large of The Canary), Tom Mills (author of The BBC: Myth of a Public Service and vice-chair of MRC), and Victor Pickard (author of Democracy without Journalism: … [Read more...]
MRC submission to inquiry on the future of journalism
The House of Lords Select Committee on Communications recently called for submissions to its inquiry on the future of journalism. In the context of the Covid-19 crisis - in which we have seen a huge decline in advertising revenue combined with a massive spike in demand for quality news - supporting independent and critical journalism is especially significant. The MRC's … [Read more...]
The fake choice around decriminalising the licence fee
by Des Freedman and Tom Mills A licence fee worth defending? Decriminalising the licence fee may not seem like the highest priority for a government that’s facing economic meltdown and social crisis. Nevertheless, Boris Johnson’s administration has ploughed on with its official consultation on decriminalisation and maintained its commitment to respond to comments by the … [Read more...]