THE DARK SIDE OF MEDIA MONOPOLIES (Also sent as an open letter to The Editor, the Tameside Reporter)

I recall a misquotation from Plutarch's ' On contentedness of mind ' “When Alexander saw the breadth of his domain, he wept for there were no more worlds to conquer!”

 

IAN MONROE USING HIS OWN NEWSPAPER

Last week we had the leader of our local authority using the spuriously lame excuse of ‘cuts in central government grants’ to justify the 3.5% increase Council Tax.

This week, we had the pleasure of his best buddy, Ian Monroe, the CEO of New Charter Housing Trust, getting on his high horse; dominating the ‘front page’ of his own newspaper to give us' his opinion' over welfare reform.

(No, Mr Monroe, it’s not a bedroom tax! - A tax is a levy imposed by the State on the earnings of an individual or a company, or it is added to certain purchased goods) 

Having read this, perhaps now the people of Tameside will wake-up to the fact that corporate news media and our business-oriented council, have made common cause.

As I feared, when I heard who it was that had ‘rescued’ the Reporter; our access to information is being controlled by persons whom we do not know, persons who are pulling the strings of the puppet council. 

Last week’s front cover was a throwback to less subtle times. These days, in professional journalism both left and right leaning papers have adopted a much more professionally respectable approach; a practice that has proved to be so much more effective. 

Unfortunately, ‘AXE THE BEDROOM TAX’ had the usual professionalism removed and reviled the true political leaning of the new owners. It was one sided, innately political and indeed factually wrong’.

Whether you think the Coalitions welfare reforms are unfair or not, is totally academic. What last week’s front page told me, was when the central interests of the controlling corporation is at stake, local news becomes heavily weighted by whatever serves the economic and political interests of the corporation that owns the media. A situation that appears all too obvious here!

In the case of the Reporter’s purchase, the obvious conclusion was that once New Charter’s bosses assumed executive control, points of view from the other side of the coin would all but disappear. Nothing we have seen so far has done anything to dispel those views and unless and until we see the return of more in-depth criticism and factual reporting, nothing will! In fact, it only serves the common belief that newspapers are predictably bad at reporting the affairs of their proprietors.

When rumours of a financial rescue for the 'old ripsnorter' first arose, the generous view was that 100% ownership of both the local newspaper and the local Radio Station would create opportunities for New Charter to bundle up different media products, in subscription packages, and that would offer a game-changing potential to both businesses.

In a democratic society, plurality of media ownership is clearly desirable, but in Tameside things seem to be moving in the opposite direction. Meanwhile, those local politicians who might take a view on whether New Charter is now over-mighty are ever-mindful of the adverse amount of coverage they may get in New Charter’s media outlets, should they rock the boat. (Look at the meagre coverage Tory councillor Bell enjoys compared with that of Cllr Taylor!)

Other than on the blogosphere, and the ever popular pages of 'Reader's Letters' where people at least have the opportunity (Presumably at the owner's discretion') to voice a full range of political opinions; local media bias seems to have become infectious; there is now little visible contradiction in the local media, much to the gratification of council bosses and local Labour councillors who, judging by the amount of column inches they attract, seem only too happy to avoid causing offence to powerful media proprietors. This isn't acceptable. 

The ambitions of New Charter bosses now need to be debated vigorously, but other than between bloggers, there would appear to be no available forum. - The health of our local democracy requires this situation must change.

Today we live in a world which is changing so rapidly that receiving the best information possible is vital. If we are not getting unbiased information, then, when the time comes, we will unable to make informed decisions.

In countries like the Soviet Union or Korea, state publishing imposes its will on what will be aired and printed. If the same kind of control over our local press is exercised by a private entrepreneur, the effect of endorsing the corporate line, is really no different from that of the party line. 

                       

When the Reporter was ‘saved’ we were told that independence was sacrosanct and editorial integrity was not in any danger; “The paper will remain entirely independent with its own editorial team producing the community news that has been loved by so many people for years.” in other words, there would be no problem of intervention of owners into the content of the news! …Well, last week’s front page tells me differently!

CURMUDGEON

Ex- REPORTER COLUMNIST, TAMESIDE

PS -If this letter is not published in its entirety, the people of Tameside will know that the Reporter's editorial independence has finally been removed and has been replaced by a New Charter / Tameside Council Newsletter.