The Media Reform Coalition has published its submission to the ongoing consultation on who should fund free licences for the over-75s. The BBC is set to assume full responsibility for the £750 million cost from 2020. We have no desire to see this "concession" disappear but believe that the government should fully fund it seeing as it was included as a central platform of their … [Read more...]
MRC submission to BBC Editorial Guidelines consultation
The BBC is currently consulting on its editorial guidelines, the rules that govern the Corporation's relationship to, for example, impartiality, accuracy, commercial references and harm and offence. We believe that the draft guidelines set out important principles, provisions and protections. But the issue with the BBC has always been less with its official editorial … [Read more...]
BBC Reform Proposals: Parliamentary launch 16 October
Following the publication of the Media Reform Coalition's draft proposals on the future of the BBC, we have organised a public debate on "The Future of the BBC: Public Media in the Age of Google and Facebook" in Committee Room 9, Palace lf Westminster at 6.30pm on Tuesday 16 October. Free tickets are available here. We have also received some tremendous endorsements for the … [Read more...]
A Media Reform Agenda for 2018
A fragile government, an embittered citizenry, an emboldened opposition and a media system that’s not fit for purpose – this is the backdrop to the Media Reform Coalition’s agenda for 2018. It’s just over four months since the broadcaster Jon Snow – enraged by the news media’s failure to pre-empt events like the Grenfell Tower fire – laid out the problems facing the UK media … [Read more...]
5 myths about Corbyn media bias
and why Labour cannot and should not play the mainstream media game by Justin Schlosberg Myth 1. The mainstream media are all complicit in an orchestrated smear campaign against Corbyn This is a common inflection among Corbyn supporters who view the coverage of his leadership with deep-seated cynicism and mistrust. But the reality is more complex and more subtle. There are … [Read more...]
An open letter on the BBC’s dismissal of Corbyn bias findings
We are writing in connection with research published last week by academics from the Media Reform Coalition and Birkbeck, University of London, that found that, during the height of the recent Labour leadership crisis, twice as much airtime on the main BBC news bulletins was given to voices critical of Jeremy Corbyn compared to those who were supportive. We were disappointed … [Read more...]
Should he stay or should he go? Television and online news coverage of the Labour Party in crisis
As the second Labour leadership election in less than a year gathers pace, research produced jointly by the Department of Film, Media and Cultural Studies at Birkbeck, University of London and the Media Reform Coalition, based at Goldsmiths, University of London, has found clear and consistent bias in favour of critics of Jeremy Corbyn. The researchers analysed 465 online … [Read more...]