August 2024 Update
Welcome to the last monthly Better Media update of the summer. As usual, you’re with Rowan Gavin, Better Media Campaign Coordinator, as I look back through the last month of our work. If you want to go further back, you can read the last update here.
Participating in policy campaigns
This month I want to start by addressing the outbreak of anti-immigrant violence that took place across the UK in early August. It has now been widely reported that much of the furore around the tragic killings that took place in Southport was based on misinformation that was rapidly and widely shared on social media alongside inflammatory language. Unfortunately, these events were an indicative case study of the real, physical consequences we can face in our communities in the absence of trusted local sources of information.
Last month, we shared some thoughts about Ofcom’s recently-published ‘Review of Local Media in the UK’. The frightening events that took place so soon after that Review’s publication only serve to underline the need for swift and decisive action to remedy the severe failings of local news provision in this country. As our member Rob Watson noted in a blog of 6th August over on Decentered Media, the concern is less what is being provided by local media than what is not being provided. Cuts to local public service media and consolidation of corporate alternatives have left people in many parts of the country with little alternative to getting their news from local social media groups, which as we’ve seen can have volatile ramifications.
In the next week we will be finalising our response to the Review, with help from our partners in the Public Service Media Forum. We will be urging Ofcom to take more direct action to address the problems with local media that contributed to the events of this month.
Platforming media reform resources
Elsewhere this month, the Media Reform Coalition published an extremely useful resource: a Media Policy Briefing for the new parliament. In the wake of this month’s events, parliament must explore policy options for addressing the root causes of anti-immigrant sentiment and violence in this country, and this Briefing is one excellent starting point. Addressing topics from the BBC Charter Review to the problems with media ownership to the challenges facing local media, it is essential reading for anyone active or interested in media policy. And it’s only three pages long, so you might even be able to persuade your MP to read it on their lunch break!
Linking with trade unions
In the wake of the new Labour government getting its early policies underway, we are resuming our work with trade union comrades, principally at Unite, to help inform our lobbying priorities for the new parliament.
For the most part that work will be taking place behind the scenes, but we would urge all trade union members who have plans to attend Labour conference to seek out the Media Reform Coalition’s fringe event:
Can democracy survive the crisis in the media… and what can Labour do about it?
23rdSeptember, 14:00-15:30
Hilton Hotel, room Albert 3
Featuring speakers:
- Emily Maitlis, The News Agents
- Baroness Frances O’Grady
- Adam Bienkov, Byline Times
- Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana, Impress
- Jonathan Heawood, Public Interest News Foundation
- Nathan Sparkes, Hacked Off
- Tom Chivers, Media Reform Coalition
With many of the leading lights in progressive media policy present, this event promises to be a key entry in the debate around the best ways to address the multiple crises facing UK media in 2024 and onward.
That’s all for this month! I’ll be back at the end of September with another update. As always you can contact me on contact@bettermedia.uk – my working hours are Thursdays, 8.45-4.30.