local democracy Archives - Media Reform Coalition

A modest proposal: Why your MP’s voting record can be a platform for strong media democracy

February 22, 2019 By Media Reform Coalition

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...]

Britain has one of the most concentrated media environments in the world. Just three companies dominate 83% of national newspaper circulation; five companies account for 80% of national newspaper newsbrand reach; five companies command 80% of local newspaper titles; and two companies own nearly half of all commercial analogue radio stations..

The phone hacking scandal and its aftermath demonstrated how that power has been used nationally, whilst at the local level community after community is losing the means to publicly hold power to account.

Urgent reform is needed to reclaim the media in the interest of the public.