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Stopping Murdoch now
DATELINE: 19/12/06
The flood of letters and comments to The Guardian and New Statesman following their coverage and comment on BSkyBs 17.9% acquisition of ITV shares, shows public hostility and deep concerns over the predatory role Murdoch plays in the UK media. In our lead article in Free Press 155, Granville Williams calls for the building of a broad-based movement to campaign for diverse and democratic media and a change in the present media ownership rules, which are a pushover for the media moguls.
This is a political matter and not all politicians are running scared of Murdoch. John Grogan MP has recently put down an early day motion (309), which calls for the secretary of state to intervene and instruct Ofcom to undertake a public interest inquiry. It is quite awful that the only people Ofcom are consulting at present under the existing rules are ITV and BSkyB!
John Grogan MP and Lord David Puttnam have given a political lead. And the All Party Commons Media Group is pushing for a meeting with secretary of state Tessa Jewell to discuss the implications of Sky’s purchase of ITV’s shares. The MP’s have also written to trade secretary Alistair Darling to register their concerns. Meanwhile John Grogan’s early day motion 309 has so far attracted 80 signatures. Please contact your MP now and get them to sign up.
Representatives of the Campaign had a meeting with John Grogan on 14 December for discuss a possible meeting in Parliament in January 2007 and will also be meeting the Minister for Creative Industries, Shaun Woodward MP on 11 January. Updates will appear on this site.
If it’s a round of applause for Poly Toynbee; it’s three cheers for Lord Puttnam. His article ‘Nation of fools’ scores many well-placed hits. The Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom, which has long argued for diverse, democratic and representative media, warned that the Communications Act would pave the way for media barons like Murdoch to move in and take over. Ofcom, established by the Act is more of a light touch deregulatory body, but this case highlights the need to revisit media ownership rules to make them ‘future proof’.
If you are concerned about the future of democratic pluralism in our media you should write to you MP asking them to support the early day motion. In addition we need to build a coalition now to exert political pressure to tighten media ownership rules. If you want to support such a coalition, contact the Campaign at freepress@cpbf.org.uk or ring 0208 521 5932.
Last modified: Tuesday, December 19, 2006
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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
Media Ownership
Turmoil at the Telegraph
Independent news network expands
Australian media law reform plan goes off air indefinitely
Off and On: the OFT and Newspaper Distribution
Prodi to undo Berlusconi's media laws
Who does he think he is?
No Sale for Northcliffe
Report on 'Content diversity in newspapers and television'
Corporate greed rules
Transnational corporate censorship threatens British music
Satisfying the advertisers
Ottakar’s Demise
Set the Media Free - Media Watch Global
Mayor calls for OFT to reconsider proposals
Media policy dominated by 'cosy cartel', says report
Clear Channel move in on Glastonbury
It’s Money That Matters
Getty acquisition deadline
Distribution Danger
VLV pushes for launch of Free-to-Air Digital Satellite
CPBF responds to OFT proposals on magazine distribution
OFT opinion threatens small magazine publishers
Monitoring Murdoch - a blogger speaks
IFJ welcomes 'First Step', calls on Berlusconi to quit TV
Protecting public service broadcasting
The News Monopoly
'New communists' worried by software patents
Scottish Media Group Announces Sale
