The Freedom of the Press
15th Jul 2011
"A very rare event happened in Parliament this week: all 6 political parties sitting in Westminster were unanimously united in their anger at News International’s handling of the News of the World hacking scandal and objected en masse to their designs on BSKYB. However both Parliamentary and public disgust at the disproportionate influence of media barons’ control over the press comes at a time when the newspaper industry is already struggling. While newspapers are facing a decline in subscribers, the 21st Century has seen the rise of digital media, especially of the blogger. However is the effect this decline in the print media and the rise of digital media resulting the public receiving less impartial coverage of the news?
The changing nature of our news consumption - and threats to the freedom and independence of the media should be a topic to spark the interest of all good communications specialists.
The media, and newspapers in particular, play a vital and irreplaceable role informing the British population, gauging public opinion and holding both Parliament and Government to account. As one commentator recently put it “far greater corruption would go unchecked if newspapers were rendered impotent.” Politicians need to be weary of inadvertently over-reacting to ‘hackgate’ by widening the fight against News International to hamper the ability of investigative journalists. Most commentators would agree that the free press is the backbone of British democracy and the criminality of a handful of rouge reporters is risking its ongoing freedom.
For public affairs and communications professionals the free press in Britain is an essential element of any campaign. It is a vital medium to disseminate information. Public affairs consultants use the media to take their campaigns beyond Parliament and in some cases to generate a groundswell of grassroots support. For journalists, public affairs professionals provide a resource for in depth information around a specific topic, vital in this age of 24-hour news cycles.
The public’s trust in major institutions has been undermined. Politicians, banks and the media have all lost the trust of the British public. For the economy to thrive, Parliament to be respected and the freedom of the press maintained, theses institutions need to re-earn their credibility."