Media Nortwww.medianorth.org.uk h Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom (North) l September 2021 l £1

No rational case for selling off C4. It’s political hat’s behind the Granville Williams 2015, when, as culture secre- broadcasters and a home for Tory government tary, he last proposed it, his me- new ideas and alternative voic- plan to privatise on why dia special advisor was Carrie es; it has driven the spectacular Channel 4? It’s only is now a target Symonds, now married to the growth of UK independent pro- four years since a re- for Tory attack Prime Minister. Whittingdale duction and exports. It does all Wview by then Culture Secretary and the new Mrs Johnson are this with only 900 employees, Karen Bradley decided not to C4 privatisation also fits with said to be still in touch. 300 of whom will move to its privatise the channel. It stated, the Johnson project to under- C4 is a Conservative crea- new head office in Leeds, while “Channel 4’s public service remit mine institutions that can call tion, launched by Home Secre- others move to new creative and support for him to account and limit his tary Willie Whitelaw in 1982, hubs in Bristol and Glasgow. production sector across the UK power. to offer competition to the BBC are vitally important – and we and ITV with a unique operat- No pretence have concluded that these are Pet project ing model as a publicly-owned The consultation document best served by keeping Channel Look at what’s going on with the but advertising-funded ‘publish- the government has produced 4 in public hands.” push to appoint former Daily er-broadcaster’. makes no pretence that it is So what’s changed? One Mail editor, Paul Dacre, a fero- For almost 40 years, at no conducting this consultation motive may be payback for C4’s cious critic of the BBC, C4 and cost to the taxpayer, it has with a completely open mind or perceived hostility to the Prime indeed of Ofcom itself, as Of- broadcast a wide range of uni- looking at a range of options to Minister. In August 2019, Dor- com’s new chair (see p6). versally available, free-to-air ensure C4’s long-term success: othy Byrne, C4’s then head of The privatisation project also programmes; provided compe- the only option it discusses is news, described him in a high- links in to the Tory’s wider ‘cul- tition to the other public service privatisation. profile speech as a ‘known liar’. ture war’, driven by Johnson’s Three months later, it re- senior advisors, Munira Mirza placed both him and the and Dougie Smith. According to This is urgent, so respond now Party leader Nigel Farage with one source ‘Dougie has Dowden The consultation closes on 14 September and we urge MediaNorth melting ice sculptures when on a string.’ readers to respond to it. There is a very useful briefing which they refused to appear in a cli- Privatising C4 has long the Media Reform Coalition has produced to help you do this at mate change debate with the been a pet project of the media www.mediareform.org.uk/blog/briefing-on-channel-4-privatisation other party leaders. minister John Whittingdale. In Nick Jones on brexit economic damage – pages 4 & 5 2 | MediaNorth | September 2021 www.medianorth.org.uk

Craig Murray supporters protesting outside the High Court in Edinburgh.

By Tim Gopsill pieces, yet no-one else has been The way to two-tier media arraigned he blogger Craig Murray One person has been jailed: is serving an eight-month a supporter of Salmond was prison sentence in Scot- Jail the bloggers. convicted for twice tweeting the land. It is a major miscar- names of some of the women in- riage of justice – and its volved. Lady Dorrian duly sent Timplications for independent Protect the press him down for six months. She journalism could be serious. said: “This was a blatant and The case arose from the trial order for anonymity during the writing as the applicant does deliberate breach of the order.” last year of former SNP leader trial. He didn’t because to do so are not.” In effect, independent Murray went to lengths to avoid Alex Salmond, who was acquit- “would not have been responsi- journalists like Murray must be identification, yet she gave him ted of all charges of sexual as- ble journalism”. judged more harshly, with more a longer sentence. sault against nine women. Mur- In her bizarrely vindictive leeway allowed for those in the This new legal doctrine, that ray, the former UK ambassador judgement, Lady Dorrian gave corporate media – as if they journalists in commercial me- to Uzbekistan who was sacked him no credit for this, because didn’t have enough already. dia should enjoy greater legal in 2004 for exposing UK complic- he did not say he did so to com- Leave aside her ignorance protection than independent ity in the use of the country’s ply with the IPSO Editors’ Code and prejudice towards the on- journalists, is also developing in torture chambers by the US’s of Practice. Clause 11 of the edi- line world; Lady Dorrian was a different context: the govern- post-9/11 extraordinary rendi- tors’ code says: “The press must making a groundbreaking dec- ment’s plans to counter ‘online tion programme, covered the not identify or publish material laration, that in her court the harms’, under which the com- trial on his blog. He carefully did likely to lead to the identifica- doctrine of equality before the mercial press will have total not identify any of the women tion of a victim of sexual assault law need not apply. immunity from the regulations complainers, yet has been jailed unless there is adequate justifi- applied by Ofcom to all other by Scotland’s Lord Justice Clerk, cation and they are legally free Establishment prejudice news websites. The way this has Lady Dorrian, at the High Court to do so.” Murray had no obligation to come about has been chronicled in Edinburgh, for contempt of The judge went on: “The ap- follow the Code since his blog in detail by MediaNorth writer court for the nebulous offence plicant describes himself as a could not be affiliated to IPSO Julian Petley. of ‘jigsaw identification’ – pub- ‘journalist in new media’. What- (though he did comply with its These plans arise from the lishing minor items of informa- ever that may involve, it is rel- intent). But the ‘mainstream same establishment prejudice tion that, combined with others, evant to distinguish his position press’ is not really ‘regulated’ towards the internet as Lady might lead to an identity. from that of the mainstream by IPSO; it explicitly enables Dorrian’s. The whole ‘fake news’ press, which is regulated, and media companies to escape the scare has been driven by the Vindictive judgement subject to codes of practice and regulation recommended by the right-wing press against its more No evidence was presented to ethics in a way in which those Leveson report in 2013. It is no- enterprising and cheaper online substantiate the charge; the toriously weak in the face of the rivals – as if there was nothing judge deduced it from reading abuse of its code by the press, ‘fake’ in the mainstream press. the blog. Murray is the first per- Lady Dorrian was which funds and completely If Craig Murray hadn’t been son in history to be imprisoned controls it. Her judgement, if it nobbled by a vindictive judge for the offence. making a declaration, has any logic at all, must have he and his like would in future In his defence he made the that the doctrine of been based on partial identifica- still be subjected to a harsher point that, had he wished to, he tions in other media to fit with regulatory regime than their could have safely published all equality before the Murray’s. Scottish coverage of rich and protected Big Media the names before she made an law need not apply the trial produced lots of jigsaw competitors. www.medianorth.org.uk September 2021 | MediaNorth 3

Julian Petley identifies the dangers 123rf.com in Home Office security proposals A grave threat to journalism n May the Home Office existing distinctions between Furthermore, it is launched a consultation spying and leaking, and also also canvassing support for the against portentously titled Leg- between leakers/whistleblow- idea that no proof of damage her was islation to Counter State ers (those who, in the language should be required in prosecu- dropped Threats (Hostile State Ac- of the Act, make ‘primary dis- tions of those making ‘onward to stop evidence being revealed Itivity). Although its proposals closures’) and journalists who disclosures’, who, of course, are in court which would have been are presented simply as ‘com- make ‘onward disclosures’ as a most likely to be journalists. desperately embarrassing to mon sense’ measures aimed at result of the information thus However if the prosecution is the government. updating provisions to protect received. The document ar- not to be required to produce ac- The operative word here is national security, the ways in gues that as ‘both primary and tual proof of the damage which ‘embarrassing’ not ‘damaging’, which it proposes reform of the onward disclosures have the po- it is alleged has been committed but one very strongly suspects Official Secrets Act 1989 pose a tential to cause equal amounts by a disclosure, a judge and jury that the current government grave threat to journalists. of harm’, those who make such (if indeed there is a jury) will believes that anything which However, what is particu- disclosures should be treated simply have to take the prosecu- embarrasses it automati- larly striking is that the words equally harshly – which means tion’s word for it. And as anyone cally damages the nation. The ‘journalist’ and ‘journalism’ ap- that a journalist breaking the familiar with past prosecutions, highly revealing move here, of pear nowhere in the main body reformed Act could be faced or attempted prosecutions, course, is to equate the inter- of the document, and ‘press’ with a maximum of fourteen knows full well, those accused ests of the government of the only twice. Instead it has re- years in gaol as opposed to the of damaging national security day with those of the nation as course nine times to the notion current two. have usually done nothing other a whole. of ‘onward disclosure(s)’ from than embarrass the government someone who makes an ‘unau- Wrong in principle of the day or the security serv- Scare quotes thorised disclosure’ (38 occur- But there’s worse. The current ices by revealing overbearing or Entirely unsurprisingly, the rences). law requires that in any case indeed illegal behaviour, gross Home Office rejects out of hand One can only assume that the brought under the Act, the pros- incompetence or dereliction of any suggestion of introducing a purpose of the employment of ecution must prove that those duty. public interest defence into the such euphemisms is to attempt subject to its secrecy require- Take for example, the in- Act, arguing that: to disguise the fact that the ments – mainly former or ex- famous ABC show trial or the A person seeking to make an proposed measures represent isting Crown servants and gov- persecution of David Shayler. unauthorised disclosure, wheth- a fundamental attack on press ernment contractors – caused Such revelations, far from being er in Government or otherwise freedom. And the fact that jour- damage, or the likelihood of ‘damaging’ (apart from to those in possession of official mate- nalistic activity is discussed in a damage, to national security as whose misdeeds have been re- rial, will rarely (if ever) be able document that is so thoroughly a result of their disclosures. The vealed), actually perform an ex- to accurately judge whether the infused with phrases such as Home Office argues that: tremely valuable public service public interest in disclosing the ‘the hostile activities of foreign “This requirement is wrong and are fully in line with the me- information outweighs the risks states’, ‘state threat’ and ‘Hostile in principle and creates real dia’s duty as the Fourth Estate. against disclosure. State Activity’ carries the clear- practical issues, acting as a bar- Exactly the same consid- And as if this supreme arro- est possible implication that rier to potential prosecutions. erations apply to the argument gance were not enough, it twice journalists of whose activities In practice, proving damage in that proving damage in open puts the words ‘public interest’ the government or the security an open judicial system would court might require the disclo- in scare quotes. No doubt we services disapprove are set to be likely require the disclosure of sure of additional confidential can expect exactly the same to treated in exactly the same way additional confidential informa- information, which could cause happen to ‘human rights’ when as spies. tion, which in turn could cause further damage. the Home Office gets around Thus one of the document’s further material damage, mean- Clearly the Home Office to weakening, or indeed even most disturbing proposals would ing there is often a reluctance to has the Katharine Gun case in abolishing, the Human Rights see the abandonment of the pursue prosecutions”. mind here, in which the action Act 1998. 4 | MediaNorth | September 2021 www.medianorth.org.uk Turning the tide: A Labour media strategy In the final years of the Thatcher and Major governments, political journalist Nicholas Jones charted the rise of the Labour Party’s publicity machine and the winning formulas of the Blair years. He says opportunities for engaging the news media are once again ready and waiting to be exploited by Keir Starmer and his shadow cabinet

ith the party confer- mediately negotiate procedures ence season likely to with Brussels to make it easier kick off a challenging for British musicians to perform autumn and winter in Europe. for , Within a couple of weeks, Wthe Labour Party is in desperate stung by the criticism from need of some sustainable media across music and the arts, the strategies to try to keep the gov- Culture Department claimed ernment on the back foot. that 19 EU countries had now A five-paragraph news story agreed that UK performers in one of the few Labour-support- would not need visas or work ing national newspapers might permits for short-term tours. seem an insignificant start but it But once the music industry was an illustration of what could and artists’ unions had studied become part of a wide-ranging the statement, they concluded campaign to exploit a myriad of nothing had changed: the govern- failings and missed opportuni- ment had not defined the length ties in the Brexit small print. of ‘short-term touring’; differing The aim would be not to re- rules applied in each of the 19 heat past divisions over the EU countries; and Spain, Portugal Referendum but to show how an and Greece were not included. incoming Labour administration would work to repair the UK’s Sleight of hand Yet again there had been compromise agreements. fractious relations with Brussels. Elton John, who had written in some sleight of hand: minis- By backing the musicians’ Across the country – and (8.2.2021) about ters brushed away post-Brexit campaign – just one of countless especially in leave-voting areas his anger at the way Brexit rules complications with their usual pleas for help from professional – there is a litany of post-Brexit were thwarting the next genera- smokescreen that ‘discussions groups and small businesses woes whether in the fishing tion of British stars, complained are continuing’ – a signal to being held back by Brexit red industry or food processing, that the government statement Conservative-supporting news- tape – Rachel Reeves signalled disrupted trade with Northern was nothing more than ‘a re- papers that the story about the what could be the start of a co- Ireland, or insurmountable hur- hash’ of what everyone knew; musicians’ plight was not worth ordinated strategy to prepare dles facing small exporters and the visa issues had not been re- reporting and could be ignored, the ground for a wide range of the angst among professionals solved. which it was. negotiated settlements. whose job opportunities have Touring artists still face en- Only rarely do these un- been limited by restrictions on try requirements and financial resolved complications get a Media strategy freedom of movement. and logistical hurdles which hearing in the Brexit press and Here is the basis of an oppor- Problem solving on the scale they insist present insurmount- when they do it tends be Brus- tunity for Labour to work with that is required is beyond the able barriers to British acts per- sels-baiting over restraints on – and publicise – the plight of a capabilities of a Conservative forming within the EU. UK trade with Northern Ireland host of aggrieved workers and government trapped by the or sabre rattling over poten- employers and assist them in Brexiteers’ red lines. tial fishing wars in the English devising the kind of deals that Ben Glaze’s exclusive report Only rarely do Channel. an incoming Starmer-led gov- in the – ‘Labour In his rush to complete the ernment could deliver. vows to fix Brexit music fias- these unresolved negotiations with the EU and With the easing of the lock- co’ (21.7.2021) – highlighted a complications ‘Get Brexit Done’, Johnson re- down and the much hoped for pledge by the shadow chancellor jected numerous potential deals return in the coming months of Rachel Reeves that an incoming get a hearing in the that were on offer from the EU, international trade and trans- Labour government would im- Brexit press and which could have produced port, Brexit red tape will loom www.medianorth.org.uk September 2021 | MediaNorth 5

Failure over Brexit visas for artists showed Government incompetence

large and with it the difficulties could not countenance would potentially hostile cul-de-sac. sterling work with its Digby of restoring business, entertain- be welcomed with open arms Perhaps the greatest over- Jones Index in monitoring the ment, and educational links by the Remain wing of the party sight of the news media during exodus. with Europe. while at the same time explain- the EU Referendum campaign Jones predicted that leaving In the long lead-up to the 1997 ing to Leave supporters that the was their abject failure to the EU ‘would not result in a sin- general election, Blair’s strate- UK’s departure from the EU had present a comprehensive pic- gle job leaving the UK’ – a hollow gists pulled together a rainbow left a lot of unfinished business ture of the impact which Brexit promise which is exposed by a alliance of pressure groups and that only a new government would have on British industry, list of 260 reports of individual special interest campaigns from could sort out. business, and employment. cases where British employment across the political spectrum to Yet again the dominant Brex- has been exported to Europe. tackle issues ranging from hu- Shining example it-supporting press is failing to Starmer’s media team has man rights to animal welfare. A Labour Party pitch to solve monitor and chart the loss of a ready-made basis on which Blair’s spin doctors were outstanding problems would jobs and opportunities that have to start work: an accurate list pushing at an open door: frus- present an appealing cross- occurred since 2016. of the jobs that have been lost trations that had built up during party platform and help push Yes, there are occasional news which sits alongside the David the Thatcher decade and Major hard-line Tory Brexiteers even stories, but where is there a Davis Downside Dossier, an- years became the basis of a co- further into an unwelcome and chapter and verse account of the other compelling account by ordinated and durable media extent to which employment has Yorkshire Bylines of his false as- strategy to highlight causes been lost as so many firms have sertion that there would be ‘no which a Blair government would Starmer’s media found they have no alternative downside to Brexit at all, and try to put right. but to establish EU-based subsid- considerable upsides’. A similar systematic ap- team has a iaries to avoid Brexit red tape. proach to explain how Starmer ready-made basis A shining example of dili- Nicholas Jones’ books include and his colleagues would strive gence so lacking in the main- Soundbites and Spin Doctors to negotiate the kind of deals on which stream media has been York- (1995), Campaign ’97 (1997), that Conservative Brexiteers to start work shire Bylines which has done and Sultans of Spin (1999). 6 | MediaNorth | September 2021 www.medianorth.org.uk

Boris Johnson still wants Paul Dacre in the chair of television regulator Ofcom: Good news and bad P ress Gazette f you don’t get the result you want, change the rules. That’s what the Culture Sec- retary Oliver Dowden did back in May over the crucial Idecision of who should be the new chair of the broadcasting regulator Ofcom. Dowden alleged there had been lobbying by the Big Tech groups like Facebook. “Any sug- gestion of a lobbying campaign for or against any individual is simply false,” Facebook said. The recruitment process has started again, after the prime minister’s favoured candidate, the former editor Paul Dacre, had his application rejected by an interview board. Boris Johnson is determined to get his man as Ofcom chair. Former Mail boss Paul Dacre is A new selection panel will pre- Arno Mikkor Wikimedia.org deeply hostile to the BBC. sumably come up with the right decision. Wikipedia en the huge rows raging about registered charity is a politically The person responsible for the Labour Party and anti-se- motivated lobbying organisa- the day-to-day running of Of- miticism. tion funded by ‘dark money’. He com is Melanie Dawes. The ‘in- Ofcom incidentally rejected also described the organisation side story’ on her appointment complaints about the John as a ‘hard-right lobby group for is that the then chair of Ofcom, Ware Panorama programme Is vested interests of big business, Lord Burns, agreed to depart Labour Anti-Semitic? fossil fuels, tobacco, junk food’, early on condition that the Of- and urged newspapers to stop com Board’s agreed choice of LBC presenter wins quoting from an organisation CEO was honoured – so the In the latest Bulletin Ofcom, af- that is registered as ‘an edu- Ofcom Board got the CEO they ter a two-year battle, found in cational charity’ because they wanted. favour of LBC radio presenter don’t reveal who funds them. James O’Brien against the right- Read the decision here: ht- Ofcom judgements on complaints wing think tank, the Institute of tps://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/ Some of the decisions on com- Murdoch didn’t like the BBC’s Economic Affairs (IEA), which assets/pdf_file/0026/222965/ plaints to Ofcom about Broad- response. complained of ‘unjust or unfair Complaint-by-Institute-of-Eco- casting Code breaches are worth treatment’. nomic-Affairs-about-James- highlighting. gramme included ones that it The IEA attacked the Ofcom OBrien,-LBC-97.3-FM,-26-Febru- The Lobby was a four-part was anti-semitic and not impar- decision, describing the ruling ary-2019-and-8-March-2019.pdf documentary programme, tial and therefore in breach of by ‘the incompetent state regu- broadcast by Al Jazeera English Rules 2.3 (the inclusion of harm- lator’ as ‘bizarre’ and ‘a boon to Channel 4 News from 11 to 14 January 2017, that ful or offensive material) and 5.5 smear campaigns and conspira- On 14 December 2020 Chan- used an undercover reporter (due impartiality). cy theorists’. nel 4 News carried a report by and secret filming. It explored Ofcom rejected the com- James O’Brien claimed the Akram Salhab on the experi- the degree to which the Israeli plaints. Read the decision ence of British Palestinian Government (primarily through here: https://www.ofcom. people in the UK and how the the alleged actions of the Israeli org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_ In terms of its community was perceived by Embassy and its then Senior file/0033/106989/issue-338- others. Part of the report fea- Political Officer, Shai Masot) broadcast-on-demand-bulletin. transparency, tured a discussion about the attempted to influence British pdf Ofcom’s operation impact on Palestinians when politics (in particular, the La- This Ofcom decision is from stands out in complaints are made about bour Party). 2017 but it got little coverage at charitable organisations which Complaints about the pro- the time which seemed odd, giv- comparison to Ipso advocate on behalf of Palestini- www.medianorth.org.uk September 2021 | MediaNorth 7 Boris Johnson still wants Paul Dacre in the chair of television regulator Ipso: Press Ofcom: Good news and bad regulator Wikipedia Ofcom or complaints handler?

By Barry White

new report reveals how the Independent Press Standards Or- ganisation (IPSO), the press regulator which Acovers most of the UK’s larg- est print and online publish- ers, was set up as a predeter- mined industry plan rather than as a response to the Lev- eson Inquiry which reported Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden Ofcom CEO Melanie Dawes is highly in November 2012. leads attack on public broadcasting. regarded. The report, IPSO: Regula- tor or Complaints Handler? acting as an effective, inde- ans. The website of UK Lawyers the regulator in the future. How UK News Publishers Set pendent regulator. For Israel was featured and the Up Their Own Regulator to Published on 21 June, two organisation complained about Another one for Ofcom Avoid Scrutiny, was written weeks before the tenth an- unjust and unfair treatment in In July 2020 BBC2 broadcast a by Dr Gordon Ramsay and niversary of the phone hack- the programme. three-part documentary, The Professor Steven Barnett. ing revelations that led to the This complaint was rejected Rise of the Murdoch Dynasty. In the foreword to the re- setting up of an independent by Ofcom: https://www.ofcom. didn’t like it port they state that: ‘Both the Inquiry under Lord Justice org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_ and News UK complained to the British public and working Leveson, the report details how file/0016/222109/complaint-uk- BBC, claiming the programme journalists deserve regulation the newspaper industry: lawyers-for-israel-channel-4- adopted the view that Murdoch that is effective without inhib- • bypassed Leveson’s rec- news-14-december-2020.pdf represented a threat to liberal iting a free press, is genuinely ommendations for reform in democracy and exercised malign independent, and commands favour of its own preconceived An effective regulator? political influence, without giving public respect; future public system; Ofcom has a clear Broadcasting due regard to the opposing point policy interventions must • reduced IPSO’s regulato- Code which broadcasters have of view and to the evidence. take account of the continuing ry powers to little more than a to adhere to in making pro- One small part of the com- determination of the industry complaints-handling body; grammes. In terms of news and plaint was upheld by the BBC to avoid proper scrutiny and • made it almost impossible current affairs this is particu- Complaints Unit (ECU) and the accountability.’ for IPSO to gather complete in- larly important in the era of fake specific sequence in the docu- It examines the back- formation on code breaches, news and the polarised report- mentary re-edited to deal with ground, structure and per- and to monitor compliance ing in the print media and new it but the substantial part of the formance of IPSO which, since with regulatory standards. entrants like GBNews. News UK complaint was reject- 2014, has been presented by It concludes that, in all In terms of its transparency ed. The ECU stated, “The pro- large parts of the press indus- three cases, “IPSO’s hands and operation it stands out in gramme-makers chose to focus try as the principal regulator of have been tied by the industry, contrast with the regulator on the political rather than the print and online journalism in and… does not have the tools IPSO which was set up, and paid business acumen of Mr Murdo- the UK. It concludes that IPSO to fulfil the task of genuinely for, by the newspaper owners. ch, interwoven with an account is deliberately constrained by independent and effective self- The political controversy of his family’s involvement in the newspaper industry from regulation.” around the appointment of a the company.” new chair raises important Murdoch has rejected the l Read the full report at: https://westminsterresearch.westminster. questions about what the real BBC’s internal investigation and ac.uk/item/v4zx8/ipso-regulator-or-complaints-handler-how-uk-news- intentions of the Culture Secre- conclusions and has taken the publishers-set-up-their-own-regulator-to-avoid-scrutiny tary and Boris Johnston are for complaint to Ofcom. 8 | MediaNorth | September 2021 www.medianorth.org.uk Remembering Emma Croft We were devastated to hear the news from her partner Nick that Emma Croft had died suddenly. We deeply miss her creative, positive presence in the work she did for MediaNorth. – Granville and Sue Williams When Scott Dart, one of Emma’s colleagues in The Working an industry Group, captures her rare and distinctive qualities dies first met Emma during OUR last Zoom event was based the 2019 General Election. around the new book by Huw We were both on-line vol- Beynon and Ray Hudson, The unteers, failing abysmally Shadow of the Mine. Both Huw to bring about a Labour-led and Ray spoke, along with Jean Igovernment. It was obvious she Spence and former BBC Indus- had a pretty astounding skill trial Correspondent, Nicholas set, combined with a compas- Emma will be missed by Jones. Watch the event at sionate, cheerful and fun na- countless people who she https://youtu.be/8CAWd0xDy0Y ture. She applied her skills in helped, inspired, worked, countless ways professionally, laughed, and danced with. in her time with local radio and local authority work, or as a vol- Local news unteer on behalf of the Labour to views diametrically opposed around social justice because Party, Momentum and others. to her own did make her angry she believed people mattered. titles thrive After the election she co-found- at times. When that happened That world view was always in There are now at least 400 in- ed The Working Group (TWG) I’d get a ding in my inbox con- flux, informed by the voices and dependent and hyperlocal news and through the relationship taining the standard Emma-ism lives of real people in real situa- titles in the UK. These are titles between TWG and MediaNorth of ‘I’m a bit cross’. This usually tions. Her life was based on doing which are not owned by the ma- ended up designing a new web- meant she’d encountered some- things that would help people, jor regional newspaper publish- site for MediaNorth and helping thing that would have made me and in doing things she encour- ers like Reach, Newsquest and with their social media pres- absolutely steaming. I knew aged others to do things too. JPIMedia. ence. She never stopped. she’d come across some really, Emma will be missed by Press Gazette has a report on To Emma socialism wasn’t a really distasteful opinion if I re- countless people who she where the titles are based and theory, it was simply how she ceived my favourite Emma-ism worked with, helped, inspired, also identifies the secrets for lived her life. Emma was deeply – ‘Blimey!’. I miss ‘I’m a bit cross’ laughed and danced with, most their success: political but disliked the inevi- and ‘Blimey’ a lot. of all by her loving partner Nick. https://pressgazette.co.uk/ table generalisation it brought Emma will be missed by me, she uk-independent-community- about, not least with regards to Unbelievable output was my friend. Blimey! news-sector our own ‘red wall’ constituen- To Emma socialism was a verb cies. She listened to people in not a noun; she did it, constantly. all their diversity. She listened Discussions were fine but there more than she talked which is had to be an end product, a goal. M e d i a North why she was worth listening She was always doing and she This issue was published on 3 September 2021 to. Emma was a free thinker always brought others along in Editor: Granville Williams and more importantly a criti- the firm belief that the more dif- Design and Production: Tony Sutton cal thinker. She didn’t complain ferent voices were involved the If you would like to receive future copies of the online version much but when she did it was better the work would be. Her of MediaNorth contact us at [email protected] usually related to a lack of criti- output was simply unbelievable. MediaNorth is published quarterly, and we welcome comments cal thinking. This was how Emma lived. or suggestions for articles. Her insistence on listening She built a worldview based Become a friend on Facebook at: Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom North l This is an edited version of Scott’s piece. A full version is on the website Twitter: @campaign_and n Website: www.medianorth.org.uk Emma created for us: www.medianorth.org.uk