Consultation on Media Ownership Rules
mediawatch-uk response to Department of
Culture Media & Sport
The primary concern for Government is to ensure that the ownership rules
favour, above all, the public interest. Whilst we acknowledge that there are
considerable commercial interests, the media, in the final analysis, should be
a service to the public. Accordingly, the Government must ensure that ownership
rules allow for a range of opinion to be expressed freely within the limits,
determined by Parliament, appropriate in a democratic society.
Having, enabled a degree of "cross media ownership" in the
past the necessary safeguards to prevent suppression of legitimate opinion or
criticism must be set out either in the primary legislation or within the remit
of the regulatory authority. There must also be provision for an appeals system
readily accessible to the public.
We agree with the proposition, 6.4.13, that OFCOM should have powers of
"assessing whether…the accurate presentation of news and free expression"
is compromised by certain ownership transfers. It is clearly not in the public
interest to allow control of newspapers, television and radio to be monopolised
either nationally or locally. We agree with the proposition 6.4.15 that elected
Ministers, answerable to Parliament, should on the advice of regulators,
exercise a moderating influence to ensure that the public interest is
safeguarded at all times.
We believe that media ownership rules should be reviewed from time to
time in the light of experience and changing circumstances. But in any review
the overriding concern should be the public interest and whether this is being
properly and adequately served. We can see no good reason why OFCOM should not
take on this role.
We welcome the undertaking to remove the anomaly by which religious
bodies are disallowed from owning a local terrestrial digital licence. Even
though digital satellite broadcasters enable nation-wide access to local radio
services we can see no good reason why a religious organisation cannot hold a
"national digital sound programme service licence" given that such
licences are granted to secular organisations. We recognise, however, that
safeguards on programme content are desirable and necessary. However, the
present rules and guidelines that apply to radio stations owned by religious
organisations have shown themselves to be open to abuse and should be reviewed.
Ends
24 January 2002
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