Natalie Fenton Lurking in this week's Queen’s Speech were five bills that could impact upon news organisations and journalists: the draft Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Bill; the Online Safety Bill; the Media Bill; the Data Reform Bill and the National Security Bill. Over the coming weeks, MRC will be interrogating all of them. But here, we focus on one small … [Read more...]
A FREE & REGULATED PRESS: THE CASE FOR COMPULSORY PRESS REGULATION
by Paul Wragg, School of Law, University of Leeds and co-host of @medialawpodcast In a newly published book, A Free and Regulated Press, I ask: why are newspapers not regulated on a compulsory basis, as broadcasters are? There are several pragmatic reasons, of course, but what, if any, are the principled reasons? Back in 2011/12, Lord Justice Leveson, … [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...]
Election 2019 manifesto pledges on media reform: what’s in and what’s not
by Natalie Fenton The media have been central actors in this General Election campaign. Research by Loughborough University has shown the dominance of pro-Conservative party and anti-Labour Party coverage in the national press and others have claimed forcefully that the BBC has failed in its duty of impartial reporting. Cries of misrepresentation, under-representation, … [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...]
The sorry betrayal of the victims of press abuse
by Natalie Fenton Last week the culture minister Matt Hancock announced the government’s response to the public consultation on the Leveson Inquiry and its implementation. The government announced that it will repeal Section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act 2013 and will not continue with the Leveson Inquiry Part 2 that was supposed to consider corrupt relations between police … [Read more...]
Norwegian report on media diversity takes citizens’ perspective
by Hallvard Moe A government-appointed Commission on Media Diversity, focusing on citizens as media users, has recently published wide-ranging proposals to safeguard access to journalism at a time of significant turbulence and change. Here one of its members summarises the political context and the main recommendations of the Commission. The Norwegian political system and … [Read more...]