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Sewn Up: Media Policy Excludes Public
A new report, 'How level is the playing field? An analysis of the UK media-policy making process', uncovers a democratic deficit
21/11/05: Des Freedman of Goldsmiths College has produced some strong evidence exposing the serious democratic deficit in the media policy-making process in Britain. The report’s main conclusion is that media policy-making is becoming more complex, involving an expanded set of stakeholders, yet the real decision making powers seem to reside with a virtuous circle of politicians, special advisers and trusted experts.Key policy makers pass effortlessly between the BBC strategy department, Downing Street or the DCMS and Ofcom. For example, Ed Richards was appointed by John Birt at the BBC to develop strategy; he then went to Downing Street, where he helped draw up the Communications Act which created Ofcom, where Richards then became a partner, being replaced at Downing Street by his friend James Purnell, who then became an MP and is now minister for broadcasting, and his vacant strategy seat in No 10 is now filled in part by Lord Birt, Tony Blair's blue-sky thinker.
The lobbying interests of big media also exert a powerful influence over media policy just by being here - politicians rely on the media to project them and their message. As Freedman points out, BSkyB met government officials six times during the passage of the Communications Act.
The report’s findings, based on interviews with 40 leading policy-makers, raise uncomfortable questions about the value of consultation processes. The 2003 Communications Act was driven by a handful of figures inside Downing Street. One person interviewed said: ‘My sense of it was that there was an agenda being run by a very small tightly-knit clique of people, who were to some extent prepared to listen, but only within the very narrow bounds of their own idea of what should be done,’ Freedman argues that whilst the public is invited to make its voice heard in consultations and opinion polls the key policy decisions are made by government insiders, often in concert with industry lobbyists, and sometimes against the wishes of the public.
One other important finding in the report is to do with the emphasis on hard data and ‘evidence-based research’. The report argues that this is one means of marginalising the public and media reform organisations with limited research resources: the public policy process is safeguarded ‘for the economists, lawyers and executives who are in a prime position to furnish the sort of information that policy-makers are demanding’.
The report, extremely timely and relevant, deserves wide public discussion.
Last modified: Monday, November 21, 2005
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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
Government Policy
Important Campaign pamphlets available...
Make the Media an Election Issue
Freedom of Information from the FoI Campaign
Their Lordships have their say on digital switchover...
Right of Reply and Press Standards Bill
Threats to the BBC
BBC Conference
IFJ condemns BBC threat to public service
Journalism and Trust
Save Public Broadcasting
The future of non-commercial local radio & tv
BBC Charter review hearings
DCMS review of BBC digital radio published
Is Wife Swap a public service programme?
Public Service Broadcasting Campaign: E-activism site launched
A new framework for Public Service Broadcasting
THE BBC’S FUTURE
Fox censured by Ofcom
ITV Franchise Fees Review
BBC Charter Renewal Debate - Winning a voice for licence fee payers
The Graf report on BBC Online
BBC CHARTER REVIEW (July 2004)
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CPBF Response to Ofcom Review of Public Service Broadcasting, Phase 1 – Is Television Special?
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