UK Govt vs Press - Actions and Updates

The last week or two have seen several actions in the continuing government intrusion into UK's press system.

At the beginning of the month, the UK government finalized the establishment of a new press regulatory authority in the form of a Privy Council.  The use of the Privy Council form was ostensibly selected to remove elected officials from the oversight process, but the industry fears that it will be still be strongly influenced by the government.  Unlike the previous Press Complaints Commission, the Privy Council will have no press representatives, and only limits currently-serving politicians and government civil servants from serving.  There is no prohibition on "retired" political or government figures, their friends and supporters, or representative of pressure groups from serving.

While those behind the plan claim "near universal support" from publishers, there has been very little public support, and very vocal concerns and objections presented by major news organizations.  In addition, several international groups concerned with the state of press freedom around the world have expressed their reservations and concerns to the UK government.

This week it was time for another shot across the bow for media in the UK. UK Home Secretary Theresa May told a meeting of the Society of Editors that the BBC was competing unfairly with local newspapers by using their Broadcast License fee revenues to subsidize its Internet operations.

"If the BBC can, as they do, provide all the locally significant news, what is left to motivate the local community to buy a paper? It's destroying local newspapers and could eventually happen to national newspapers as well."

She expressed concern that a dominant or monopoly news provider would be far too easily captured by special interests - perhaps forgetting that the BBC was the monopoly broadcast news provider for the UK for almost all of the 20th century.

In another speech to the Society of Editors, former BBC Chairman Lord Grade lambasted the new authority.

“The trouble is, that as soon as the politicians became involved, they did what politicians always do: they reached for the statute book — always the wrong answer where press regulation is concerned.”
“That final session, where politicians of three main parties huddled in secret over pizza with (activist group) Hacked Off to agree the final draft of the royal charter, while the industry directly affected was unrepresented — that session was, to say the very least, counter-productive”.

Even this early, it certainly looks like the British government's seeking to influence press operations and coverage.  It will be interesting to see whether the government chooses control over freedom as these new UK press oversight and regulation efforts get established and implemented.

Sources -  Britain approves new press regulation system, newspapers cry foul,  Reuters UK
Home Secretary warns BBC's internet dominance damages local media, The Drum
Lord Grade hits out at 'bonkers' press regulation charter,  TheCourier.co.uk

If the BBC can, as they do, provide all the locally significant news, what is left to motivate the local community to buy a paper?
“It’s destroying local newspapers and could eventually happen to national newspapers as well.”

Read more at http://www.thedrum.com/news/2013/11/12/home-secretary-warns-bbc-s-internet-dominance-damages-local-media#eh5ZxZlTY3SKShk1.99

If the BBC can, as they do, provide all the locally significant news, what is left to motivate the local community to buy a paper?
“It’s destroying local newspapers and could eventually happen to national newspapers as well.”

Read more at http://www.thedrum.com/news/2013/11/12/home-secretary-warns-bbc-s-internet-dominance-damages-local-media#eh5ZxZlTY3SKShk1.99

If the BBC can, as they do, provide all the locally significant news, what is left to motivate the local community to buy a paper?
“It’s destroying local newspapers and could eventually happen to national newspapers as well.”

Read more at http://www.thedrum.com/news/2013/11/12/home-secretary-warns-bbc-s-internet-dominance-damages-local-media#eh5ZxZlTY3SKShk1.99