Media: newspapers

This unit will look at national newspapers and the role they play in society through examining:

• national newspaper reporting and styles
• who owns the national press?
• who controls the national press?
  

Background (also the answers to Activity Sheet 2)

Who owns the papers?
Alfred Harmsworth started the Daily Mail in 1896. He then went on with his brother to form Amalgamated Press Ltd, which owned the Daily Mirror, The Observer, The Times and a range of magazines and local papers. Today, the Daily Mail is owned by Vere Harmsworth, the great grandson of Alfred. The Daily Mail also owns General Trust plc and Associated Newspapers Ltd that produces:

• The Mail on Sunday
• The London Evening Standard
• A number of free sheets and local papers
• Harmsworth Media Ltd
• Part of West Country TV, Teletext, Classic FM, Channel One (cable) TV and thirteen local radio stations.

News Corporation
The biggest media group is News Corporation Ltd, owned by Rupert Murdoch. This group owns the following papers in Britain:

• The Sun
• The Times
• The Sunday Times
• The News of the World.

It also owns 50 per cent of BskyB satellite TV.

Rupert Murdoch’s business and media interests span the world. In his native Australia, he owns one national and 108 regional papers, twelve magazines and a TV network. He also owns numerous other TV and film networks around the world, including the Fox Corporation, magazines, newspapers and publishing companies.

In Britain, Murdoch and his papers have been traditionally supporters of the Conservative government, however, in recent years, The Sun has supported New Labour.

Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN)
Robert Maxwell bought Mirror Group Newspapers in 1984. He was an ex-Labour MP and owned the paper up until his mysterious death in 1991. During this time, The Mirror was the only paper that consistently supported the Labour Party. After Maxwell’s death, it transpired that he had raided the staff pension fund and the paper was found to be in serious financial difficulties. However, Mirror Group Newspapers survived and now own a major stake in The Independent and The Independent on Sunday newspapers. MGN also have considerable shares in a TV channel.

United Newspapers
United Newspapers own the Daily Express, the Sunday Express, and the Daily Star, as well as 100 regional newspapers and 300 magazines. It also has substantial shares in the Press Association, one of Britain’s leading news agencies.

The Guardian
The Guardian is owned by the Scott Trust, which protects its editorial independence. The trust ensures that the newspaper’s editorial independence is guaranteed, as there is no single owner, nor shareholders to dictate what viewpoints to follow. The trust also owns The Observer and several local papers. It also owns ten local radio stations and shares in many TV production companies.

Hollinger Inc.
This company is owned by Conrad Black. It owns The Telegraph, The Spectator, and has substantial shares in Carlton TV.

Pearson Group
This group own The Financial Times and 100 local papers, as well as owning several publishing companies and substantial shares in several TV companies.

Freedom and responsibility: controlling the press

Privacy
Unlike radio and television, individual newspapers do not require a license to operate. However, British law does impose some constraints on what gets published in newspapers and there are informal agreements that restrict the publication of certain types of information.

Britain, unlike some other democratic countries, has not had privacy laws, but the right to privacy is now recognised in Britain in the Human Rights Act. However, one of the dangers of privacy laws is that they are often used against the press to protect the rich and powerful from investigation.

Legal constraints
There is extensive legislation, which governs and restricts what may and may not be published, about court proceedings. No information that could be argued to prejudice the outcome of a trial may be reported about someone waiting to stand trial. In some cases, the identity of the victim and the accused might be protected, especially in a rape case or when a trial involves a juvenile. Judges and magistrates can choose to exclude the press and public from the court and the taking of photographs inside a court is always banned. If the newspapers breach these rules, this is classified as contempt of court and can result in heavy fines and even imprisonment.

However, the most frequently imposed legal constraint on the newspapers is that of libel action. Publishing any statement that might damage a person’s reputation or writing stories about people that are later found to be untrue can, and often has, led the newspapers into court. Many stories fail to get published, as papers are keen to avoid costly lawsuits. There is no legal aid for libel, so the law tends to give greatest protection to those who are rich and powerful. It is possible to obtain legal aid to fight a lawsuit if the victim can show that the paper has published a malicious falsehood.

Press Complaints Commission
The Press Complaints Commission is funded by the newspaper industry and was set up to see that the bounds of common decency were not overstepped. The Commission has also instigated a system to speed up the hearing of libel cases and to make them cheaper.

Useful websites

• www.media.guardian.co.uk
• www.mediawatch.co.uk