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BBC governance proposals are non-negotiable
The following are excerpts from a political monitoring organisation's report of the hearing at the Lords Select Committee on the BBC on 20 July. Our thanks to Don Redding of Public Voice.
29/7/05: Peers have heard from Culture, Media & Sports Secretary, Tessa Jowell, that the Government will not change its mind on the future governance structure of the BBC.Appearing before the Lord Select Committee on BBC Charter Review, Jowell said that the proposals in the Green Paper on a separate BBC Trust and Executive Board were not up for negotiation. They represented a 'unique structure for a unique organisation.'
Tessa Jowell replied that the Trust was the 'embodiment of the BBC' and stressed that the chair of the Trust would be the chair of the BBC. It would be responsible for the oversight of the BBC, with executive responsibility lying with Executive Board.
Andrew Ramsay explained the reasoning behind the model further, arguing that with a unitary board the governors and the non-executives were too close together. However, where there was a unitary board and an external regulator, the relationship between the two was too distant. The model proposed by the DCMS was a compromise, he said.
Tessa Jowell confirmed to the committee that the BBC would continue to receive the licence fee until 2016, despite the Green Paper proposing mid-term reviews of the BBC Charter. She explained that the DCMS wished to retain a degree of flexibility so that it was possible that in the future some licence fee money could go to other public service broadcasters.
Andrew Ramsay explained that the Government would produce its White Paper before Christmas 2005, and hope to get the details of the Charter finalised by spring 2006, along with a settlement on the licence fee. The new charter would come into effect in January 2007. Tessa Jowell confirmed that Parliament could also expect debates on the Charter in spring.
Last modified: Friday, July 29, 2005
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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.
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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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