That Fiery Glob Could Land On Your Desk

Michael Hedges October 10, 2013 Follow on Twitter

Experienced negotiators know how to read a room. Parties in dispute resort to name-calling – or worse – as deadlines approach. The skilled practitioner knows this is the moment to ferret out a solution. Threats, you see, really do work and once the inevitable is clear hearts and minds will follow.

The UK government threw the flaming ball of press regulation back at publishers this week, rejecting the industry-led proposal as too weak to be politically palatable. Several major publishers rejected the rejection, howling that press freedom is at stake. At the moment, each side in the argument would like to be spared inevitable agony. 

Addressing the House of Commons, the lower house of the British parliament, culture secretary Maria Miller explained that the self-regulation scheme favored by newspaper publishers lacked independence from those stakeholders and would not give aggrieved parties sufficient access to arbitration to settle claims. The government would now take its own proposal for a press regulation Royal Charter as agreed by the major political parties and the Hacked Off organization, representing victims of newspaper abuse, to the Privy Council, which inscribes such things, at the end of October. “The proposals we are discussing are all about redress for the public but it's also about retaining freedom of the press which we all value so highly,” said Secretary Miller, quoted by the Guardian (October 8). Over the next few weeks the government will attempt to sweeten their proposal, hopeful that might entice grumpy publishers to sign-on.

It isn’t likely. Publishers most opposed to any regulatory scheme with teeth include Associated Newspapers, publisher of the populist right-wing tabloid Daily Mail, Trinity Mirror, publisher of left-leaning tabloid Daily Mirror, and News UK, publisher of the daily Times, Times on Sunday and tabloid Sun. News UK is owned by News Corporation and, when known as News International, published the now-closed tabloid News Of The World, employees of which were up to a list of shenanigans from phone hacking to alleged shady relations with public officials. As those seedy headlines appeared the government set up a special judicial inquiry that concluded that, yes, something distasteful had been happening and the great hammer of law should come down.

None of that appealed to the newspaper publishers resisting any intrusion into their practices. International press freedom advocates agreed. Once governments have a thumb on news media the abyss is certain. Newspapers aren’t like pizzerias on which governments can inflict punishment when too many cockroaches are discovered crawling about. They are, after all, newspapers, pillars of democracy.

UK politicians have been, unsurprisingly, of two minds. Newspaper employees’ atrocious behavior, perhaps at the behest of irreproachable editors and proprietors, offended a set of voters who demanded redress. Inaction would be seen as weakness, fatal for politicians. And, too, slapping down thoroughly despicable journalists – and perhaps their bosses – might win friends. But, even in this digital age, no politician wants to “pick a fight with somebody who buys ink by the barrel,” as a politician once said. The best solution for politicians, then, would be keeping the issue out of the headlines and maybe it would just go away, at least until after the next elections.

That option faded quickly when the tabloid Daily Mail published at the end of September a pointed attack on the late father of Labour Party leader Ed Miliband. Two days later Mail on Sunday reporters crashed a private memorial service for Miliband’s late uncle asking mourners to comment on the Daily Mail’s attack piece. Widely slammed by every side of British body politic, except a few far-right voices, the Daily Mail’s headline and column – not to forget lack of contrition – focused attention on editor-in-chief Paul Dacre and owner Lord Rothermere. Mr. Dacre chairs the industry committee fighting any sort of government retainer on newspaper publishers.  He has skirmished for several years with actor Hugh Grant, board member of the Hacked Off organization and its most vocal spokesperson.

It was a PR catastrophe for supporters of the lightest possible touch in press regulation. The politicians threw the fiery ball back to them only to hear, in public at least, adamant rejection as if the newspaper publishers could will the ugly glob onto somebody else’s well-manicured lawn.  Obviously, a skilled negotiator is needed.

See also in ftm Knowledge

Press/Media Freedom - Challenges and Concerns

Press and media freedom worldwide is facing challenges from many corners. As authoritarian leaders impose strict control over traditional and new media with impunity, media watchers have concerns for democracy. This ftm Knowledge file accounts the troubles of this difficult decade. 88 pages. PDF (December 2011)

Order here

UK Newspapers

The newspaper market in the UK is among the worlds most competitive. The publishers are colorful, editors daring, journalists talented and readers discerning. ftm follows the leaders, the readers, the freebies and the tabloids. 83 pages PDF (October 2010)

Order here