This exchange following Lord Fowler’s question on media plurality gave me the opportunity to point out that the News of the World did not have to be closed.
Lord Fowler: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proposals they have for ensuring media plurality in the United Kingdom.
Baroness Garden of Frognal: My Lords, the Government will outline high-level thinking on media ownership and plurality in the forthcoming communications Green Paper and have commissioned a report from Ofcom on these matters to be delivered in June 2012. As noble Lords will be aware, the Leveson inquiry will also report on matters related to media plurality and any recommendations will be considered as part of the communications review.
Lord Fowler: My Lords, should we not remember that last July we were only days away from News Corp’s bid for BSkyB being waved through? Against that background, would my noble friend not agree that our aim should be to have safeguards that prevent any one organisation owning a disproportionate share of the British media and that final decisions on media mergers and takeovers should be taken independently, not by Ministers?
Lord Soley: I agree very strongly with the comments of the noble Lord, Lord Fowler. Does the noble Baroness agree that there would actually be more media diversity now if, instead of closing down the News of the World, News International had taken responsibility and those responsible for the actions there had either resigned or been sacked?
Baroness Garden of Frognal: That might indeed have been the case but we are where we are. The News of the World has closed and of course we now have the new Sun on Sunday, which is a sort of replacement for it. Yes, those actions might have resulted in a different outcome; we cannot know.
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201212/ldhansrd/text/120307-0001.htm#12030760000442
What’s the percentage of media in state hands?
Time to flog it off.
Which should mean we, the public, are no longer stuck with the license fee for funding a blatant abuse of power.
You are blind Blagger. Right now countries emerging from tyranny or still under the heel of a dictator say they want the BBC. Why? Because we have a structure that allows investigative journalism and is also valued by the British public.
I think you are too sympathetic to those who hate investigative journalism.
You could also try the radio/TV in the USA – you would like that!
This is an eye opener on just what Lord Soley has raised. Media stultification by those who have too much power.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhmRg_xdd2w&feature=related
And they all know about it, and what is to be done?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qHt0h9Gjbc
In Frognal & in other spots Peers appear.
From palace Peers see the Blagger stalk.
The satellite dish that is in the palace rear
Blagger wishes to the bidding market hawk.
Solely into the garden with a fowler’s gun
the Peer is after Blagger slinking dishward
“He’d leave us insulted &sources none,
Yank’s news reading releases & the polls”
But Blagger sees the socialist untoward
and at him a free market mob rolls.
The BBC & Murdoch live another day
Blagger burns a Peer in effigy
The Yanks have their many voices say
the Thousandth network proves our liberty…
Blagger has gut reactions which are brief and to the point. I do value the BBC but not its propaganda. Other tyrranies may well want the BBC exactly because it is so effective in purveying state propaganda to nearly all but its most critical customers.
It is difficult to make such a case against Radio 3.
The world service I have not attempted to analyse, but it is certainly very popular with Brits living elsewhere in the world.
You know it’s for you.
Any civilisation that does not fully enable its several levels of People to both think and communicate clearly and correctly
needs to be “closed down” –
not just the lifesupports-destroying daily and weekly newspapers
all of which
(not just the ‘Murderoch’ Family’s “Screws of the World” whatever it’s called)
think we and our leaders are all stupid enough to be fed ‘pigswill’
or else that our leaders are complicit with the “Flooze of the Whirled” in having us fed ‘pigswill’
malfeasantly to divert us from getting an ongoing straightforward and sober democratic-scrutiny-skills education.
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(Helpful book: “Do They Think You’re Stupid ?” (by Julian Baggini)