The International Forum for Responsible Media Blog
Here are three questions that anyone interested in the health of UK democracy should be asking. Should reputable political journalists allow themselves to be exploited as conduits for the unfiltered messages of political leaders? Where does accurate reporting end and uncritical stenography begin? Continue reading
If the UK is heading for a general election, or a second Brexit referendum, journalists had better brace themselves – not just for the long hours on the campaign trail but for all the blame and vitriol that is likely to be heaped on their heads. Continue reading
On 12 April this year the front page headline of the Sun was ‘NOT IN MEG BACK YARD’. The report began: ‘Prince Harry and Meghan have infuriated Royal Household staff at Windsor by banning them from using a car park — because it overlooks their new home.’ Continue reading
It’s chilling. From the Mail, The Times to the BBC and ITN, everyone is peddling Downing Street’s lies and smears. They’re turning their readers into dupes. “Number 10 probes Remain MPs’ ‘foreign collusion’.” This huge banner headline dominated the front page of The Mail on Sunday on 29 September. Continue reading
Australians picked up their morning papers yesterday to find heavily blacked-out text instead of front-page headlines. This bold statement was instigated by the “Your Right to Know” campaign, an unlikely coalition of Australian media organisations fighting for press freedom and source protection. Continue reading
Freedom of thought stands at a critical crossroads. Technological and psychological advances could be used to promote free thought. They could shield our inner worlds, reduce our mental biases, and create new spaces for thought. Yet states and corporations are forging these advances into weapons that restrict what we think. Continue reading
In a news week dominated, as usual, by Brexit the newspapers continued with their predictable and entrenched editorial positions. The vote in Parliament on Saturday was, on the front page of the Mail on Sunday “House of Fools”, in contrast, the Sunday Mirror had the Prime Minister “Humiliated”. The Guardian had a piece with the front pages and headlines from the various Sunday newspapers. ITV news also had coverage. Continue reading
Freedom of expression has long been extolled by those who love freedom generally. As George Orwell once said: “If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.” And, according to the European Court of Human Rights, this includes offending, shocking and disturbing. Continue reading
Earlier this week, in a written statement to the House of Commons, the UK’s Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, the Rt Hon Nicky Morgan MP, announced the end of the UK’s controversial age-verification plans for online porn Continue reading
During the 2019 Australian general election, a news story about the Labor Party supporting a “death tax” – which turned out to be fake – gained traction on social media. Now, Labor is urging a post-election committee to rule on whether digital platforms like Facebook are harming Australian democracy by allowing the spread of fake news. Continue reading
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