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AGM condemns threats to Media Lens
DATELINE: 6/8/08
On 28 June 28 and 3 July, Media Lens, a UK-based media-watch project, received repeated threats of both legal and police action from Alastair Brett, legal manager of News International’s Times Newspapers. Noam Chomsky described the threat, pithily, as "pretty sick." (Email, June 28, 2008). The action was the discussed at the CPBF’s annual general meeting and the following resolution was passed:
CPBF 2008 AGM - Emergency Motion
MEDIA LENS has the aim of "Correcting the distorted vision of the corporate media". It challenges journalists and editors over distorted reporting by inviting subscribers to the Media Lens bulletin to email editors and journalists with their criticisms. It has existed for seven years.
On June 28 and July 3 2008 Media Lens received repeated threats of both legal and police action from Alastair Brett, legal manager of News International’s Times Newspapers. Brett claimed Times journalist Bronwen Maddox had been subject to "vexatious and threatening" emails from Media Lens readers, which constituted "harassment". If this did not stop, Brett told Media Lens, he would notify the police who might wish to investigate the matter with a view to bringing a criminal prosecution.
This AGM notes the comment by Peter Wilby in The Guardian: "We journalists are accustomed to dishing it out, but have the thinnest of skins. At the merest hint of criticism, we are apt to turn to our lawyers", and condemns the action by Times Newspapers and its attempt to curtail the perfectly legitimate activity of Media Lens.
AGM agrees to send a copy of this motion to Media Lens and asks the editor to give coverage to this in the next issue of Free Press. In addition the motion should appear on the CPBF web site.
Granville Williams.
You can get further information by visiting the Media Lens web site. Follow the link below.
LINKSMedia Lens site
Last modified: Wednesday, August 6, 2008
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Notices
Events & Announcements
World Press Freedom Day
More reporters are currently imprisoned in Turkey than in any other country in the world. Only a matter of weeks ago lawyers failed to persuade a Turkish court to release a 76-year-old journalist from a Turkish internet news station.
World Press Freedom Day on Friday May 3, 2013 is being marked in Britain by a rally to highlight the dangers facing journalists in Turkey and in this podcast, Nicholas Jones speaks to Barry White, Organiser at the Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom, and Sam Bamford, the TUC's policy officer for Eastern Europe and Africa about the importance of a campaign to highlight international press freedom.
The World Press Freedom Day rally is being staged by the National Union of Journalists at the NUJ head office, Gray’s Inn Road, London WC1 on Thursday May 2, 6pm-8pm.
DATELINE: 27/4/13
UK launch of EU media campaign
DATELINE: 13/3/13
The UK launch of a 'European Citizens' Initiative' calling for EU rules against concentration of media power will take place on Thursday March 21 from 11:00am – 12:30pm in Committee Room 4A at the House of Lords, London. Guest speakers will include actor and activist Hugh Grant (pictured), media consultant Claire Enders, Professor Steven Barnett, Barry McCall (President of the NUJ) and Marc Gruber (Director of the European Federation of Journalists).
A European Citizens' Initiative is an official petition, like a Downing Street petition. If it succeeds in gathering a million signatures across the EU, the Commission is obliged to respond.
This petition calls for the EU to act to protect media pluralism and press freedom.
CPBF Annual General Meeting
DATELINE: 1/3/13
Make a note in your diary
Saturday 13 July 2013 from 10.00am
NUJ HQ, 308/312 Gray's Inn Road, London WC1.
Leveson, media ownership, CPBF future work.
DOWNLOAD FREEPRESS NOW
DATELINE: 26/3/10
Download Freepress in PDF, ePub or mobi format. Issue 194 now available.
MEDIA FOR ALL CONFERENCE
DATELINE: 26/3/10
Papers from the Media for All Conference
MEDIA MANIFESTO
DATELINE: 26/3/10
The media’s job is to inform and entertain us but we rely on them too to tell us what our rulers and representatives are up to. In the run-up to the Iraq war the government used spin and disinformation in the media to create panic and mislead people. The truth is coming out now, but we need stronger, more independent media to be able to scrutinise governments and make informed choices.
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Previous stories
Free Speech & Censorship
CPBF condemns Tesco libel action
Unite demands reinstatement for Pizza man
Response to the Ministry of Justice proposal to extend FoI
Reporters Without Borders launch free expression day
Update on Mordechai Vanunu
'We must be able to show world as it is'
CPBF response to the cartoons
Derek Pasquill
Pasquill Trial collapses
Campaigners welcome FoI climbdown
UPDATE on Vanunu+free speech attacked in USA
Murdoch is "all business" - zero ethics
UPDATE on Vanunu+free speech attacked in USA
Murdoch takeover of WSJ 'is bad news'
Vanunu faces further prison sentence
Campaigners win official secrets case concession
Police attempt raid of Camp for Climate Action
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