JUST OUT! The Media Reform Coalition is working with researchers from the Center for Media, Data and Society (CMDS) at Central European University to investigate the influence of shifts in policy, funding, and technology on contemporary journalism. This is part of the international Media Influence Matrix project, coordinated by CMDS, which has so far produced 19 reports … [Read more...]
Report: Who Owns the UK Media?
NEW REPORT ON UK MEDIA OWNERSHIP JUST PUBLISHED We produced our first comprehensive report on media ownership in the UK back in 2015 when we argued concentrated ownership was a significant problem for any modern democracy. In 2019, we produced an updated version that suggests that, not only does concentrated ownership persist but that the problem may be getting worse. Sadly, … [Read more...]
Covid-19 and the ownership and control of the media
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 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...]
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...]
News plurality and the Mirror/Express merger: real concerns remain
by Justin Schlosberg This week the Culture Secretary Matt Hancock cleared the proposed mergerbetween Trinity Mirror and Northern & Shell Group. This followed a public interest testof the merger by Ofcom on the grounds of both plurality and the ‘free expression of opinion’. It’s perhaps hardly surprising that Ofcom found no cause for concern on either ground, given … [Read more...]
MRC statement in response to announcement on Fox/Sky merger review
The Culture Secretary Karen Bradley has today stated that she is ‘minded to’ refer the proposed buyout of Sky by 21st Century Fox on plurality grounds, for further review by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). Whilst that is welcome news, we are troubled that no substantive concerns have been raised in respect of either broadcasting standards – which includes reference … [Read more...]