Decriminalising TV licence fee evasion will cut BBC funding without helping the poorest

Murdoch buying Murdoch – nothing to worry about?

by Des Freedman When information leaked out last weekend about BSkyB’s proposal to buy 21st Century Fox’s share of pay-TV…..

The problem with local media: An industry gutting itself

By Emma Hughes ‘The best stories I’ve ever got started life scribbled on the back of a beer mat in…..

Media ownership: power and influence in the hands of the few

By Frances O’Grady Some like to tell me that we have the best ever media, with the internet opening up…..

The Elephant In The Room: New report on UK media ownership

The Media Reform Coalition has today published its newest report ‘The Elephant In The Room: a survey of media ownership…..

From the Financial Times – “The power of the US cable barons must be challenged”

With much of the UK press still opposed to any progressive measures to combat concentration of media ownership, journalists and…..

Media Pluralism Early Day Motion

Following the Parliamentary launch of Reclaim The Media, Tom Watson MP has tabled an Early Day Motion in the House…..

Maria Miller had to go. How will her replacement handle the big decisions?

by Tom Chivers Corrupt? Perhaps. Foolish? Certainly. Maria Miller did herself no favours in handling the row over her expenses…..

30 years after the miners’ strike, the state’s agendas still dominate the press

by Granville Williams It is always educative to get out and about a bit. I’ve certainly been doing that this…..

Islamophobia, press bias and the need for reform

by Ghazal Tipu Muslim faith leaders, media professionals, activists and students gathered in an event last week, in a bid…..

Decriminalising non-payment of licence fee a barely disguised attack on BBC

by Des Freedman After a campaign involving over 150 MPs to add an amendment to the Deregulation Bill, the government…..

Australia swims against the tide of democratic media reform

As debates on media plurality continue in the UK, the Australian government is very quickly taking dangerous action in the…..

A War on the Young? The Closure of BBC Three

by Des Freedman The BBC’s decision to close its sole youth-focused TV channel, BBC Three, is both depressing and divisive……

When are we going to do something about media power?

by Des Freedman Media moguls are losing their power. At least that is what Rupert Murdoch thinks. As he tweeted…..

Crisis management for dummies part one: Set up a public inquiry

by Justin Schlosberg This week we learned lessons in crisis management given by Tony Blair to former News of the World…..

Tony Blair ‘privately advised’ Rebekah Brooks on phone hacking scandal, court hears

By Martin Hickman Tony Blair was privately advising Rupert Murdoch’s newspapers on the phone hacking scandal days after learning its…..

UK high court dismisses David Miranda’s legal challenge to Heathrow detention

by Amy O’Donoghue David Miranda’s claim that his detention by UK authorities under the Terrorism Act was unlawful has been…..

UK falls to #33 in global press freedom rankings

by Amy O’Donoghue Following government harassment of journalists and editors, the UK has fallen from number 29 to 33 on…..

Why Are We So Frightened of Breaking Up ‘Big Media’?

The House of Lords Communications Committee has just published its report into media plurality and few media moguls will be…..

Murdoch and Media Power – Déjà Vu All Over Again?

Thursday sees the announcement of half-year results from BSkyB. There may be a slight dent in its relentless profitability following…..

Distorting the debate on media reform

A delegation from the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) arrived in the UK this week to investigate “The British Government’s actions relating to newspaper regulation and the handling of state surveillance.” At a briefing session organised by the LSE on Wednesday, it swiftly became clear that the delegates had been badly misinformed about the debate, both by press reports and by their earlier meeting with Lords Hunt and Black of IPSO.

What Miliband’s Next Pledge Should Be

What follows is an amended version of the lead story in the Guardian, 16 January 2014.