CMDS in Parliamentary Hearing in the UK
CMDS Director Marius Dragomir together with researchers Leo Watkins and Thomas Chivers and research supervisor Des Freedman, attended a UK parliamentary group briefing on June 23 to discuss shifts in policy, funding and technology that influence changes in journalism and the future of public service media in the face of politicized appointments and privatization.
The briefing was informed by the work done by CMDS in its Media Influence Matrix project that covers now over 19 countries and specifically by the research conducted for the Uncovering Media Influence in the UK project. The meeting was hosted by Clive Lewis MP and featured MPs from the Labour and the Scottish National Party.
The main issues raised at the meeting touched on the recent attacks against the public service broadcaster in the UK; the impact of changing media consumption habits and the relevance of television for younger generations; the role of technology companies in shaping the advertising market for the online press; and the risks associated with regulating the press while addressing online harms and disinformation.
The CMDS team raised concerns related to the concentration of media ownership in the UK, the gap in revenues and funding between public service media and commercial TV on the one hand and American streaming services on the other, and the presence of news deserts in small towns or rural areas in the UK.
The future of public service media and the faith of BBC took center stage in the hearing.
The Uncovering Media Influence in the UK project published two reports on:
- Who Owns the UK Media? (Thomas Chivers and the Media Reform Coalition)
- Media Influence Matrix: United Kingdom. Government, Politics and Regulation (Leo Watkins)
A third report on Funding Journalism in the UK is forthcoming in July 2021.