Breaking the taboo of media ownership

By

Vanessa Baird

Anger and disgust at the antics of Big Media is high in Britain today –
thanks to scandals over phone hacking and more recently the Daily Telegraph’s inadequate coverage of the fraudulent activities of one of its major advertisers, HSBC.

The Leveson Inquiry
proposals are meant to address poor media ethics, but they stop short
of tackling the key issue that enabled abuses to continue with impunity –
the concentration of media ownership.

In spite of the growth of
digital media, pluralism does not rule and ownership within news and
information markets remains highly concentrated in the hands of just a few big players.

But a new Manifesto for Media Reform launched
this week, ahead of Britain’s 7 May general election, is calling upon
politicians to pledge their support for a raft of changes, including
restricting the share of media any one company or individual can hold
(to around 20 per cent) and promoting the growth of a more pluralistic
media environment.

Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, for example,
enjoys a 34 per cent share of the national newspaper market in Britain
and a 39 per cent share in BSkyB, as well as interests and investments
in a host of other media.

The SkyNews website is one of the six
most viewed, as is the Daily Mail’s online version. People may be
getting half their news online, but most comes from just a few media
corporations. The regional press is also dominated by just four big
companies, which are closing down titles across the country to boost
their profits.

‘Up to now the power of Big Media have
frightened off all politicians and parties from taking action,’ said Tim
Gopsill for the Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom at the
Manifestos’ launch in London on Wednesday.

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