Media North CAMPAIGN FOR PRESS AND BROADCASTING FREEDOM (NORTH) ● Issue 8, September 2020 ● £1

Editorial Covid’s grim legacy Government IT’S a grim picture. In Septem- ber the radio company Bauer will fold almost  local stations into a national radio network branded Greatest Hits. Stations failure? like York’s Minster FM will close. To meet licence requirements some regional content will be produced, but will cover large areas such as north-west Eng- land rather than be produced by Just blame individual local stations. In July the BBC confi rmed it was cutting   jobs from its regional news operations. This will hit BBC local radio stations someone else and television news bulletins in the regions hard.  jobs will go By Granville Williams We also have a gov- from the award-winning current ernment ruled by crony- affairs Inside Out programmes. PRESS coverage of the ism and arrogance. They will be replaced by a new refugees risking their lives Dominic Cummings current affairs strand produced to cross the Channel to the drove through, without from regional hubs in Newcas- UK in small infl atable boats consulting the Ministry tle, Yorkshire, Norwich, Bir- has been deplorable. If we of Defence or other sen- mingham, and Bristol. need a reminder of what ior recognised scientifi c And the hollowing out of is at stake remember the advisors, a £  million local continues. young Sudanese man, Ab- deal for the bankrupt Reach, the largest publisher of dulfatah Hamdallah, whose OneWeb satellite busi- local and regional newspapers, body was washed ashore on ness. The UK Space is cutting  jobs. The latest  August. Agency had warned that ABC fi gures reveal the Reach- The tragedy has also OneWeb would need owned revealed the dishonesty of more cash and that the daily print circulation dropped the version of events of this government could lose by % from , to , ‘crisis’ being peddled by all its money on the deal. from January to June. ministers. Their despera- Public First, a com- Newsquest’s York Press fell tion to blame anyone but pany run by long-term % to , , JPI Media’s Shef- themselves for the present associates of Dominic fi eld Star dropped % to , situation has resulted in an Cummings and Michael and the Yorkshire Evening Post overemphasis on the role of In contrast to most press coverage, this front Gove, worked with Of- fell % to , . The Lanca- smugglers and alleged fail- page conveys the human tragedy qual on the algorithim shire Post fell % to ,. ings by the French. and were also awarded We are moving into a period A recent poll found that % efforts in this vein won praise an £, contract, without of post-COVID dislocation and of British adults had little or no from Nigel Farage. putting the work out to ten- the run-down or closure of local sympathy for Channel migrants. Patel’s actions are part of a der, to research public opinion and regional media means the This is the result of the deliber- wider pattern. When things go about government policies. A capacity to describe the impact ately infl ammatory politics pur- wrong, whether it’s the response Conservative peer, Dido Hard- of these changes to communi- sued over many years, reinforced to COVID- or the unfair and ing, who has no public heath ties and hold those responsible and amplifi ed by sections of the discriminatory English exam re- experience, will run the new to account disappears. Misinfor- national press, with a view to sults algorithm fi asco, this gov- quango which will replace Pub- mation and chatter fi ll the gap. attracting voters hostile to im- ernment relies on blame, fear lic Health England. migration. Priti Patel’s recent and prejudice. What a government! TABLOIDS WHIP UP MIGRANT SCARE STORIES – PAGES 4-6 2 | MediaNorth SEPTEMBER 2020 Tabloids excited by plan to launch rivals to BBC TV Media moguls Malone and Murdoch want to challenge BBC

By Granville Williams tured by the woke-dominated group-think of some of its own and Express love to pub- staff’. He added, ‘There is a de- lish polls about how much their fault left-leaning attitude from a readers loathe the BBC. The polls metropolitan workforce mostly are normally linked to the latest drawn from a similar social and manufactured controversy about economic background.’ the broadcaster that they have One of his former col- splashed across their pages. leagues Gavin Barwell, There- Now they have greeted with sa May’s former chief of staff glee that two media at No , was among those Another day, groups plan to launch opinion- who voiced concern that the another attack ated Fox-style current affairs sta- new channel could further from BBC-bashing tions in Britain to rival the BBC. polarise British politics. He tabloids One is GB News. Co-founder tweeted, ‘Do you think a po- Andrew Cole sits on the board larised broadcast media to of John Malone’s Liberty Global go with the polarised print and tells his LinkedIn followers media we already have will that the BBC is ‘possibly the most change our politics and biased propaganda machine in country for the better?’ the world’. Theresa May’s former Ofcom granted a television Murdoch, when head of communication, Sir broadcasting licence to GB News not mean that the channel will he had a stake in Sky Robbie Gibb, has emerged as a in January . All Perspectives, defi nitely make it to air. News, was dismissive of it as ‘BBC prominent fi gure with GB News. the limited company granted The rival project is being de- lite’ because it had to operate He worked as head of the BBC’s the licence, was set up last Sep- vised by Rupert Murdoch’s me- under UK broadcasting rules on political programme output until tember, according to Companies dia empire which has already due impartiality. Both projects leaving to work at No  in . House listings. launched Times Radio and now come at a diffi cult time for the In a recent opinion piece for Speculation is that it will be has the former Fox News execu- BBC as the government is intent The Telegraph, he claimed the a Freeview channel with a link tive David Rhodes heading up on destabilising the broadcaster BBC had been ‘culturally cap- to Discovery, but a licence does this scheme. fi nancially. BBC Director delivers Broadcaster pulls no punches upbeat farewell speech in powerful Bristol speech OUTGOING BBC Director Gen- ing,’ he said. BROADCASTER, historian and The generation of black and eral Tony Hall gave the keynote He argued, ‘The forces of dis- writer David Olusoga in his brown people who entered this speech opening the Edinburgh information and social media MacTaggart lecture struck a industry fi fteen, twenty, twenty- Television Festival on  August. tend to feed on fracture and drive different tone to Tony Hall. In fi ve years ago with high hopes. He was in a strong position to polarisation.’ a powerful speech on race and I’m a survivor of a culture within give his valedictory address, cit- In contrast, he said, ‘What we the television industry he didn’t TV that failed that generation. ing the role of the broadcaster do, as a PSB, is a force in the op- pull any punches. I’m here because a handful of during months of lockdown. posite direction. Impartiality is In the speech broadcast from people used their power and ‘Audiences came to us in the keystone of broadcast jour- Bristol City Hall, Olusuga told his their privilege to help me,’ he their millions – for news and in- nalism in this country.’ (virtual) audience: said. formation they could trust, for The problem, of course, is the ‘I stand here today not as one educational support they could way BBC applies impartiality to of the TV industry success sto- Watch the speech here rely on, for world-class content, its news coverage. It’s an issue ries, but as a survivor. The full speech is at culture and for respite from the which won’t go away after Tony “I am one of the last men https://www.youtube.com/ worries we all were experienc- Hall departs. standing of TV’s lost generation. watch?v=XALf r SEPTEMBER 2020 | MediaNorth 3

Stephen Dorril on the long-delayed report into Russian interference in UK politics UK’s Russia report is a damp squib

DURING the  Brexit Refer- documents, confi rms that there endum campaign, Russian arms was, indeed, substantial interfer- dealer Alexander Temerkon, who ence through money, hacking ABOVE: Prime Minister Boris Johnson at a dinner with Alexander Temerko. has given more than £.m to and use of agents of infl uence. BELOW: Metro front page when the report was published. the Conservative Party, donated So why the delay and why is £, to a dozen Conservative the UK report, despite reserva- the Russians had compromised pursue this angle, while the Na- MPs. His largest single donation – tions, highly signifi cant? The Trump and ‘indications’ that tional Agency investigation into £, – went to Yorkshire MP, content is not controversial but Moscow had ‘covertly contribut- funding was so narrowly defi ned Nigel Adams, one of the Prime the absence of any sign that the ed funds’ to the Brexit campaign. that it never really took place. Minister’s key supporters. British government did anything On interference in the Brexit The weakness in the law with Boris Johnson, too, has been to counter the perceived threat is. Referendum, the ISC noted that regard to funding of political a recipient of Russian largesse. Ten years ago the ISC was MI ’s evidence to them, which campaigns is deliberately so as He jetted off to a holiday with asked to redact mention of Rus- appeared to be based on limited it serves the main political par- the son of the Russian owner of sian cyberattacks on ‘diplomatic open sources, was ‘inadequate’ ties well. The ease with which the , Alexan- grounds’. The question is why, and consisted of just six lines. dark money can be concealed der Lebedev, a former KGB of- when the evidence is overwhelm- The Conservative Party has has proven to be the main obsta- fi cer who bought the loss-making ing that Russia did intervene in welcomed Russian money but no cle for journalist investigations. in . A one-time attempt has been made to dis- Again and again, they encounter friend of Putin, Alexander cover the provenance of it, partly a thick wall of non-disclosure. has complained about a because the City has not wanted There have been several well- ‘biased’ western media. His to undermine its importance as researched investigative books son Evgeny, who retains essentially an off-shore tax ha- published recently – Peter Geog- dual-nationality, was re- ven which channels dark mon- hegan, Democracy for Sale: Dark cently awarded a peerage by ey into the fi nancial system. Money and Dirty Politics (Head Johnson. The recent evidence on Zeus), Luke Harding, Shadow There is nothing illegal Russian interference in the State: Murder, Mayhem and Rus- here but Russian billionaires US, which the Senate report sia’s Remaking of the West (Guard- have used large party dona- concludes was sanctioned by ian Faber), Glen Simpson & Peter tions to gain access to the Putin, suggests that the ob- Fritsch, Crime in Progress: the Se- highest echelons of UK pub- jective is to suppress the vote cret History of the Trump-Russia lic and political life. Was this by discrediting the act of vot- Investigation (Allen Lane). why Johnson blocked for so ing and not necessarily to Each contribution is worthy long the release of the Intelli- change votes. Transparency but only by reading them all do gence and Security Committee campaigner Gavin Sheridan you begin to understand the scale (ISC) report into Russian inter- argues that the tactic is to and nature of what has been going ference in British politics? ‘create a worldview in which on with regard to the undermining The -page report, fi nally it becomes increasingly dif- in the UK and US of democracy in published in July, is something the democratic process, the Secu- fi cult for voters to know what is elections and referendums. of a damp squib. It is banal, heav- rity and Intelligence Serves (MI , believable and what isn’t. And But it is only the investigatory ily redacted – secrecy really is the MI and GCHQ) did not do more politicians don’t want to seriously power of state organs that can British disease – and generally to monitor or combat what Pu- ask what’s going on, because they really reveal the true sources of unrevealing. tin’s pals were up to. don’t think it’s in their interests to the money, the channels through Compare that with the , The reason is that the Govern- know – or worse, they want to use which it has gone, the role of key page th report from the US Sen- ment has deliberately ‘not sought those techniques themselves.’ individuals and the nature of ate Intelligence Committee on evidence of successful interfer- Facebook has not been co- Russian infl uence. Russian interference in the  ence in UK democratic processes’. operative about revealing the use Presidential election, which is Prime Minister May and then For- of closed groups by pro-Brexiters Stephen Dorril has written a a remarkable document. Three eign Secretary Johnson deliber- ahead of the Referendum. The number of books about the UK’s year’s work, based on a million ately side-lined intelligence that May government did not want to intelligence services. 4 | MediaNorth SEPTEMBER 2020

Journalists condemned as newspapers and TV channels bombard nation with ‘dehumanising’ coverage of Channel boat people Tabloids whip-up migrant scare stories By Nicholas Jones

FEARS over immigration re-en- tered the list of voters’ top ten concerns in August – an all-too predictable response after weeks of scare stories about ‘an invasion of illegal migrants’ arriving along the English Channel coast. Alarmist coverage in newspa- pers such as the Sun, Daily Mail and Daily Express encouraged broadcasters to follow suit. Radio and television crews headed out to sea from Dover to intercept infl atable dinghies and other small craft. Live reports fi lming the mi- grants’ boats – and snatched shouts and answers between re- porters and those heading for Eng- land – were condemned by several MPs as being dehumanising and tantamount to voyeurism. The August Issues Index com- piled by the pollsters Ipsos Mori Biased, emotive, one-sided (..) put ‘immigration/ reports fuel immigration immigrants’ in eighth place (%) scare stories when people were asked, ‘‘What do you see as the most/other important issues facing Britain showed that just under half of today?’ all adults had ‘not much’ (%) Although well below ‘unem- or ‘no sympathy’ (%) for mi- ployment’ on % and ‘Brexit’ grants crossing the channel from on % – and with ‘coronavirus’ France. way out in front on  % – the re- Expressions of sympathy were entry of this issue to the top ten lower by comparison: ‘a great mentions was a notable change. deal’ (%) and ‘a fair amount’ Throughout the early months ( per cent). of the pandemic, fears about im- From the start of lockdown in migration had fallen well down March there were news reports the list and had failed to make of a surge in small boats being the top ten. intercepted in British territorial Perhaps this shift in people’s fears was the extensive media concerns over ‘immigration/ waters. anxieties was only to be expected coverage of the exceptional con- immigrants’ in the August fi g- Initially newspaper report- given the blanket news coverage tribution made by BAME staff in ures – up % in a month to % ing was restrained and factual, for the impact of Covid- and the NHS during the pandemic, – might seem a small increase, reduced to a few paragraphs on the imposition of lockdown. and their disproportionate loss it should be seen alongside a inside pages as most press cov- Another factor that might of life. YouGov survey, also published erage and broadcast output was well have helped to lessen such While the re-awakening of in August (..), which dominated by the mounting SEPTEMBER 2020 | MediaNorth 5

Given the way the story had been ramped up by the tabloids, broadcasters responded by sending television crews to join the cat-and- mouse hunt off Dover

to reach UK’ (..). When over  migrants crossed in a single day – setting a new record – the Daily Mail was incandescent about Britain’s border force: ‘Bordering on Mad- ness’ was the headline across a two-page spread (..). With the interceptions in- creasing and the daily records tumbling, the House of Com- mons Defence Committee chairman, Tobias Ellwood, de- manded action. He told the Sun that the Royal Navy should be deployed (‘Dover and Out’, Sun, ..). Ellwood’s headline-grabbing intervention was the trigger for a fl urry of Sunday exclusive stories about new counter measures. ‘The Interceptor: Priti appoints Marine to combat migrants’ (Sun on Sunday, ..); ‘Ex-Royal Marine signs up to protect Chan- nel’ (Sunday Express, ..). A Mail on Sunday exclusive claimed Home Offi ce offi cials Newspaper reports whip up siege mentality were preparing at least fi ve pris- ons to provide short-term accom- Covid- death toll and the re- being processed at Dover steadily two countries had signed a new modation for record numbers of percussions of life being reduced increased during May, the Home agreement to create ‘a joint in- arrivals. ‘Secret jail plan to house to a standstill. Secretary Priti Patel faced calls telligence cell’ to interrupt the migrants’ (..). However, by late April, with from Conservative MPs to do people smugglers. Given the way the story had more frequent publication of more to return them to France Briefi ngs to staunch Conserv- been ramped up by the tabloids, pictures of boatloads of people and Belgium. ative newspapers told a different broadcasters responded by send- crossing the channel in infl at- Brexit-supporting newspa- story: Ms Patel was said to have ing television crews to join the able dinghies and other assorted pers added their weight to the blamed Paris for failing to get to cat-and-mouse hunt off Dover. craft, the tone of the coverage clamour. Failure to stem the fl ow grips with the crisis. In response, There were live reports on Sky began to harden. was increasingly being viewed by the UK was planning military- News and BBC Breakfast. Din- ‘The new Battle of Hastings’ press commentators as a test of style tactics. ‘Navy testing nets ghies were fi lmed approaching (Daily Mail, ..) gave an the ability of a post-Brexit Brit- to snare migrants’ (Daily Mail, the coast with the migrants on alarming account of the chal- ain to ‘Take Back Control’. ..). board being asked which coun- lenge facing Border Force offi c- By late June, Ms Patel was By the end of July, over , try they were from. ers: ‘Boatloads of desperate mi- left under no illusions by the migrants had entered since the When the coverage was con- grants have now been landing Sun (..): ‘Priti: Europe start of the year, compared with demned for being dehumanising, around the genteel Sussex resort must do more to halt infl ux.’ the , who made it in the the BBC insisted that the number – some even chased across the She met her French counter- previous two years. The Sun of Channel crossings was ‘a topic cliffs by barefoot offi cers.’ part in mid-July and the Times mocked the effectiveness of the of huge importance’. Reporters As the numbers of migrants (..) reported that the Border Force: ‘Illegals’ pedalo bid ● Continued on Page 6 6 | MediaNorth SEPTEMBER 2020 Labour MP slams ‘grotesque reality show’ ● From page 5 should be holding the Home Of- immediate lead-up to the  focussed on demands for tighter fi ce to account rather than en- European Referendum, Murdoch immigration controls that the had endeavoured to cover the gaging in ‘voyeurism and capi- had been at the Sun’s offi ce ‘day Sun said could only be delivered story ‘sensitively’. talising on misery’. after day, marshalling the cover- by Brexit. This defence did little to re- The Sun’s attempt to lead the age’. As Britain enters the fi nal assure the Joint Council for the pack in what it dubbed ‘Channel ‘The Brexit vote was Rupert straight before the end of the EU Welfare of Immigrants which War’ (..) has coincided Murdoch’s fi nest moment, the transition period on  Decem- argued that journalists should with the BBC series The Rise of the moment he achieved most ber, ‘immigration/immigrants’ not be ‘making a spectacle out Murdoch Dynasty which explored power, his greatest moment in – the issue that had the greatest of people’s trauma’. Rupert Murdoch’s predilection British newspapers ... without infl uence on Brexit voters – is Several politicians went fur- for ‘shaking up the establish- Rupert there would have been again rising up opinion polls ther. Labour MP Zarah Sultana ment’ by using his newspapers no Brexit.’ and the news agenda, and seems accused broadcasters of par- and television stations to ‘heat No mention was made of destined to become a fl ashpoint ticipating in ‘a grotesque real- up the temperature of a country, the fact that immigration scare for Conservative-supporting tab- ity show’. Stephen Farry, deputy to hot things up’. stories were the Sun’s weapon of loids as they strive to demon- leader of the David Yelland, a former Sun choice in campaigning for a ‘Yes’ strate that Britain has ‘taken Alliance Party, said journalists editor, described how in the vote. Day after day its front page back control’. Culture makes a difference Arts boost Yorkshire region’s economy

By Granville Williams ings, book launches and, most impressively, in February , THIS piece is prompted by the an event coinciding with the play death of John Scully (- by Trevor Griffi ths, The Gulf Be- ). My bet is that not many tween Us. The play was inspired people in Yorkshire will recog- by the Iraq war, which began nise his name, even though they in January . We fi lled the benefi t enormously from his Courtyard Theatre, jam-packed inspiration and work for a rela- with over   people tively brief period as chair of the We have a government which recreation and arts committee of is characterised by bungling and County Council indifference as arts organisations (-). take the hit from the pandemic. John was one of a number of The Department for Digital, Cul- people who have had a lasting ture, Media and Sport doesn’t impact on the cultural fabric of inspire confi dence. There is a Yorkshire life. On my list would £. bn rescue package but a also be Alfred Bradley, a - lack of clarity about how it will based producer for the BBC North be allocated. region, a key fi gure who through The Yorkshire and Humber- his radio programme, The North- side TUC’s culture sector unions ern Drift, nurtured Northern think priority must be support- writers like Barry Hines. Bradley ing smaller, regional outfi ts that was based in Woodhouse Lane in add value to local communities. Leeds between  -. An- Joana Vasconcelos’ Pop Galo at Yorkshire Sculpture Park This follows discussions between other would be Alex Clegg, inspi- unions and the tourism body, Wel- rational Chief Education Offi cer Huddersfi eld Narrow Canals. the money in the council’s re- come to Yorkshire, about the fu- for West Riding County Council He also saw the potential of the serves, unless spent, would go ture of the industry and the immi- from  - and author of Yorkshire Sculpture Park and back to central government. nent danger of closure for many The Excitement of Writing and offered a larger grant than re- John proposed £m for a smaller cultural organisations. Children in Distress. quested to create it. It is now a re- new playhouse in Leeds. He won The tourism and culture sec- John Scully believed fi rmly nowned international arts venue agreement by persuading com- tors are jointly worth £bn per that investing in leisure facili- and currently has the stunning mittee members that it must be year to Yorkshire’s economy, ac- ties brought economic regenera- work of Portuguese artist Joana called the West Yorkshire Play- cording to recent fi gures, and tion. His role on West Yorkshire Vasconcelos. house. unions urgently want to avert County Council enabled him to When the metropolitan It opened in  and CPBF job losses among the quarter of become a driving force in the councils were abolished by the (North) has used its facilities a million people employed in the restoration of the Rochdale and Thatcher government in  regularly since then for meet- sectors in the region. SEPTEMBER 2020 | MediaNorth 7 ‘PromGate’ was another stick to beat the BBC THIS was the headline in a Sun- Another day Times story on  August: ‘Rule Britannia faces axe in newspaper BBC’s ‘Black Lives Matter Proms’ The BBC is agonising over ‘de- colonising’ the Last Night’s tradi- group in tional bill The report said ‘The BBC is trouble discussing whether to drop Rule Britannia and Land of Hope and LOCAL newspaper group Arch- Glory from the Last Night of the ant is the latest victim of the Proms in the wake of the Black crisis in local newspapers. The Lives Matter movement’. It sug- company publishes The New gested that, ‘Dalia Stasevska,  , European and the Eastern Daily from Finland, who is conducting Press as well as a number of local the Last Night, is among those Made-up nonsense appeals to these papers’ ageing readers weekly news titles and monthly said to be keen to modernise the magazines. evening’s repertoire and reduce speculation has led to abuse and Britannia! and Land of Hope and Archant’s chief executive Si- the patriotic elements.’ threats towards me and my fam- Glory, played by the BBC Sym- mon Bax said, “The impact of It was an inaccurate, kite- ily which is why I am speaking phony Orchestra. the downturn on our advertising fl ying piece, a manufactured out. The only difference is that and circulation revenues due to story. And, of course, it worked “For the record I have played viewers will hear both works per- Covid- has been profound.” with all the BBC-bashing papers no role in deciding the tradition- formed as instrumental pieces In a move which mirrors the piling in to attack the broadcast- al elements of the programme. I for the fi rst time since  . action by in No- er, calls to defund it, and Boris recognise these are an important It has to be said, though, that vember , the UK’s fourth Johnson stirring the pot. “I think part of the event.” the BBC’s response to this manu- biggest local newspaper pub- it’s time we stopped our cring- The real facts of the story are factured outrage was slow-footed lisher has been bought out by ing embarrassment about our simple. As there will be no live and defensive and allowed its en- a private equity fi rm in a deal history, about our traditions, audience in the Royal Albert Hall emies to have a fi eld day. which leaves shareholders with and about our culture, and we to sing along, and the number of Make no mistake – there will nothing and the company’s pen- stopped this general fi ght of self- musicians and singers will be re- be much more of this as the sion scheme, which is believed recrimination and wetness,” he duced and dispersed around the Johnson-Cummings campaign to have defi cit of around £ m, proclaimed in his best blustering hall because of social distancing to castrate the BBC by making will be taken over by the gov- manner. for this year, the viewers watch- the licence fee optional ramps ernment’s Pension Protection Dalia Stasevska was forced ing this year’s Last Night of the up again. The BBC needs to fi ght Fund. to issue a statement: “This false Proms will still hear both Rule, these attacks more robustly.

BOOK REVIEW US news deserts undermine democracy WE give a lot of space to the GHOSTING THE NEWS reporting that holds public of- threats to UK local and regional Local Journalism and the Crisis fi cials to account. As the papers newspapers in MediaNorth. This of American Democracy fall away, news deserts are creat- is a powerful book which gives By MARGARET SULLIVAN ed. Sullivan shows how corrup- us the lowdown on what is hap- tion fl ourishes and government Published by Columbia Global Reports pening in the States, and much effi ciency plummets as a result. of its content echoes our own Price £11.99 It is not all grim news. She grim experience. provides positive stories and Between  and , corporate mergers and others What newspapers have been her message is clear: local news American newspapers cut  because of simple closures. consummately good at – and can be the glue that connects percent of their newsroom staff. This book also does some- what TV news and radio news, people in a given community, From  to  , the United thing which is very important. even at the local level, have not and newspapers tie a region to- States lost more than , It places newspapers within the been as focused on, tradition- gether, helping it make sense of print outlets – some because of communities they try to serve. ally – is the kind of watchdog itself. – GW 8 | MediaNorth SEPTEMBER 2020 Remembering Clive Ponting, Falklands War whistleblower By Barry White Cover of of the Belgrano Affair ( ). The Right He was a high-fl ying civil serv- CLIVE PONTING (-) To Know, ant, previously awarded an OBE was a civil servant, Falklands Ponting’s and, at the time of the Falklands War whistle-blower, writer and book War, head of a naval department historian. He died aged  on  on the at the defence ministry, where he July. He was one of the outstand- Falklands clashed with Michael Heseltine Call for ing th century campaigners campaign. over the Belgrano affair. against offi cial secrecy. After his Old Bailey trial, media In  he leaked documents Ponting made a new career as a to Labour MP Tam Dalyell about historian and writer with a post the sinking of the Argentinian Act. His trial was described by of reader at Swansea University reform cruiser General Belgrano and his counsel Brian Raymond as where he wrote : Myth and CPBFNORTH has just pub- the following year was sensation- ‘the most political trial of this Reality (), exposing the lished Fix the Media: What You ally acquitted by a jury (against century’. myth of Britain’s fi nest hour, and Can Do. The -page booklet ar- the wishes of the judge) despite He subsequently wrote The a biography of Winston Churchill gues that the prospects for media breaching the Offi cial Secrets Right to Know: The Inside Story (). reform under the hard-right Tory government now in power are minimal. Instead Tory hardliners want their own destructive ‘re- forms’ – and one target of these Strike action is the BBC, which it is actively destabilising. This situation makes it all the more urgent for media reform is ‘last resort’ campaigners to clarify what can be done. This spurred a work- STRIKE action at Bullivant Me- The dispute also concerns ing group to draw together their dia Limited highlighted the non-editorial staff taking on ideas to promote a wider discus- grim state of affairs in local jour- journalistic work, which the sion. nalism as NUJ members took NUJ said could have a negative Fix the Media focuses on some action to save local jobs and impact on editorial quality and key policy proposals and argues quality journalism. All  mem- standards. that the media reform move- bers of its editorial staff formed In a message of support, ment needs to move quickly Buy the a National Union of Journalists Louis Stephen, Green Party and get organised to build wide chapel earlier this year. Councillor on Worcester City support for them. The company runs weekly Council, makes the crucial point The publication is available in book free newspapers and websites about the role of quality local both online and print versions. YOU can buy It’s the Media, Stu- with titles including the Cov- journalism: ‘The Worcester Ob- You can read it on line at www. pid! The Media, the  Election entry Observer, Leamington server plays a vital role in local coldtype.net/MediaNorth.html and the Aftermath directly from Observer, Rugby Observer, Strat- democracy – letting local peo- For details on how to pur- CPBF(North). Here’s how you ford Observer, Solihull Observer, ple know what is going on and chase a print copy (£. inc can do it. Redditch Standard, Bromsgrove holding to account our elected P&P) go to http://coldtype.net/ Standard, Worcester Observer politicians.’ MediaNorth.html ● Send a cheque for £.  and Evesham Observer. inc P&P, with your name and The Bullivant Media NUJ address, to chapel said: “Strike action is a CPBF(North) last resort and we continue to Media North  Tower Avenue, Upton, invite the company to respond near Pontefract, to our reasonable demands for This issue went to press on 3 September 2020 West Yorkshire WF EE fair pay and decent working Editor: Granville Williams practices. Design and Production: Tony Sutton, www.coldtype.net ● Or you can use BACS to trans- “Working non-furloughed If you would like to receive future copies of the online version fer £.  to staff, many already on the bread- of MediaNorth contact us at [email protected]. CPBF (North) line, have considered using food MediaNorth is published quarterly, and we welcome comments Sort code -- banks after getting to the end or suggestions for articles. Become a friend on Facebook at: a/c No  of each month and discovering Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom North. Please remember to email they have been underpaid, or Twitter: @campaign_and [email protected] with there has been a  per cent de- Website: www.coldtype.net/MediaNorth.html your name and address. duction from their wages.”