Labour MP Clive Lewis told a packed audience that the British media is “fit for purpose”, on 16 March. But this wasn’t meant as a compliment. He explained that we have “a media system” that is “fit for the political economy we are in”.

Fit for the establishment

The point the former BBC journalist was making is that it is not an accident that the establishment press reports the way it does. The press, including the BBC, reports the way it does because it ‘reinforces’ the establishment status quo. That status quo is corporate, individualistic, and neoliberal. In this worldview, governments are meant to allow ‘markets to self-regulate’, with minimal ‘intervention’. According to the speakers, the majority of the political and professional class accepts this view as an article of faith.

The MP for Norwich South made his comments during the 2019 Media Democracy Festival. The Canary attended the event, which featured workshops, talks, and discussions.

Pushing austerity

James Meadway, economist and former adviser to John McDonnell, gave a perfect example of establishment bias in the mainstream media:

Following the crash we still don't see any meaningful discussion allowed in the mainstream press about austerity & it's alternatives. Leaking of Labour's '17 Manifesto was done to hurt Corbyn, but actually exposed very popular ideas to a wider public. – James Meadway#MDF2019 pic.twitter.com/N35tORqxwG — M. A. E. (@MElmaazi) March 16, 2019

Meadway also said that every economics textbook will tell you that the worst thing to do during a recession is to cut government spending. During a recession, businesses are already cutting spending, and even going bust, he said. And so what society needs during a recession is more government spending, not less.

Yet alternatives to austerity are hardly, if ever, discussed by the establishment press.

Lewis pointed out:

The BBC wasn't always very corporatist as it is now. It used to be very statist. I don't want to see it go back to being statist I want to see a democratised BBC. – Clive Lewis MP#MDF2019 #MediaDemocracy pic.twitter.com/Isg4uowZTp — M. A. E. (@MElmaazi) March 16, 2019

The BBC

Tom Mills, author of The BBC: Myth of a Public Service, also made this point during a discussion about ‘reforming’ the BBC:

"Coverage is dominated by the political elite. The perspectives tend to be quite narrow" & reflect "elite opinion" w/ notable exceptions. We know that "the BBC doesn't tend to" reflect "the diversity of opinion and views and debates" in the UK.@ta_mills #MDF2019 #MediaDemocracy pic.twitter.com/qldUaOaeUj — M. A. E. (@MElmaazi) March 16, 2019

Sarah O’Connell, who has worked with the BBC for many years, said:

Sarah O'Connell says she has great respect for journalists at BBC, where she worked for years. The problem isn't self-censorship as the real editing occurs before the story is being edited. The real editing happens "when you are pitching stories". #MDF2019 #MediaDemocracy pic.twitter.com/LkpB9zIM5A — M. A. E. (@MElmaazi) March 16, 2019

She noted with concern that:

One problem is that if Bradford was covered for one news story, then an attempt to pitch a different story say for Derry, will illicit a response of 'but we've already done a story on the north. We've done Bradford' – Sarah O'Connell#MDF2019 #MediaDemocracy pic.twitter.com/ukQbVJbDFO — M. A. E. (@MElmaazi) March 16, 2019

Bradford is just “one place” O’Connell exclaimed and “the north” is a huge region.

Faiza Shaheen discussed a cringe-worthy story about working with the BBC:

When the BBC decided to do a show on whether the UK will ever have a Black PM, there were no Black people who were even part of the current affairs team. It was a "sea of 'White' faces", Faiza Shaheen said.They actually said they'd find a black person from BBC Extra.#MDF2019 pic.twitter.com/3pAPYaZzPh — M. A. E. (@MElmaazi) March 18, 2019

Everyone agreed the problems with the BBC ran deep:

But it is also a matter of a class bias. The BBC is heavily weighted towards middle and upper middle class people, both in terms of its news coverage but also in terms of its main staff. So its a matter both of 'Race' & Class – Faiza Shaheen #MediaDemocracy #MDF2019 pic.twitter.com/xtToSuQM1E — M. A. E. (@MElmaazi) March 16, 2019

The statistics show that – apart from doctors – journalists are the most middle class. 33% went to Oxbridge compared to 0.3% of the wider population. Democratic restructuring w/ local control is needed. @ta_mills#MDF2019 #MediaDemocracy pic.twitter.com/5uTnv5HqxS — M. A. E. (@MElmaazi) March 16, 2019

Democratise the media

The Media Reform Coalition (MRC) released its Manifesto for Media Reform 2019 and it will be available online soon. It calls for democratising the BBC. It also recommends making the TV licence fairer by linking it to internet access and council tax bands rather than simply ownership of a TV or use of BBC IPlayer.

The Canary reported last year on Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn’s proposals to help democratise British media.

In 2018, Mills and Dan Hind, co-presenter of the Media Democracy podcast, wrote a chapter on media democracy, for an ebook called New Thinking for the British Economy.

Mills warned that:

Long-term sustainability of democratising of the BBC means not falling into the trap of a leftwing government simply putting pressure on the BBC to "report on the Left more favourably". "All government control of the BBC should be abolished". @ta_mills#MDF2019 #MediaDemocracy pic.twitter.com/oLhwUA4F4U — M. A. E. (@MElmaazi) March 16, 2019

Mills said:

.@ta_mills co-drafted a vision of the BBC that is broken apart, regional, bottom-up, democratically controlled. Our licence payer money is going to big multinationals, this also needs to go to local, cooperatively owned local, accountable institutions.#MDF2019 #MediaDemocracy pic.twitter.com/kx98M0iW8j — M. A. E. (@MElmaazi) March 16, 2019

New Thinking for the British Economy is available for free.

Progressive media reform

Justin Schlosberg, of the MRC, told the audience:

There can never be a genuine programme of progressive reform without progressive reform of our media. Read the @mediareformUK Media Manifesto 2019. Share and discuss it at your local branch, party, family, wherever. – Justin Schlosberg#MDF2019 #MediaDemocracy pic.twitter.com/B2KPup57Mn — M. A. E. (@MElmaazi) March 18, 2019

So it’s up to all of us to make that happen.

Featured image via BBC iPlayer