1,000 signatures reached
To: Oliver Dowden, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
Listen to Meghan: Stop press bullying
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In her interview with Oprah, Meghan Markle has revealed the extent of bullying, abuse and intrusion aimed at her and Harry by parts of the British press.
Newspapers get away with bullying people like this because, unlike the BBC and other kinds of media, most of them aren't regulated.
Tell the Government to introduce proper accountability for all newspapers, to protect people from lies and abuse in the press.
Newspapers get away with bullying people like this because, unlike the BBC and other kinds of media, most of them aren't regulated.
Tell the Government to introduce proper accountability for all newspapers, to protect people from lies and abuse in the press.
Why is this important?
They did it to Meghan and Harry. They did it to Caroline Flack, to Gareth Thomas and Ben Stokes, and to hundreds of ordinary people every year. Just to sell newspapers and make money.
Press abuse - the publication of relentlessly intrusive, untrue, and often personally abusive stories about people in national newspapers - has to stop.
Many of the people affected are well-known. That shouldn't make them fair game for newspapers to attack for a quick profit.
But thousands of the people attacked in the press are not well-known at all. They are victims of terrorist incidents, small business-owners, academics. Anyone who is caught up in a news-worthy event, or who even publicly says something which a newspaper finds objectionable.
Newspapers get away with this behaviour because they aren't regulated. The BBC is regulated, and so is the news on other TV stations and the radio. Yet most newspapers remain outside of any independent form of accountability (they are members of a body called "IPSO" instead, which doesn't have regulatory powers and is controlled by the press).
We need the Government to act to stop press bullying & abuse. Add your name today.
Press abuse - the publication of relentlessly intrusive, untrue, and often personally abusive stories about people in national newspapers - has to stop.
Many of the people affected are well-known. That shouldn't make them fair game for newspapers to attack for a quick profit.
But thousands of the people attacked in the press are not well-known at all. They are victims of terrorist incidents, small business-owners, academics. Anyone who is caught up in a news-worthy event, or who even publicly says something which a newspaper finds objectionable.
Newspapers get away with this behaviour because they aren't regulated. The BBC is regulated, and so is the news on other TV stations and the radio. Yet most newspapers remain outside of any independent form of accountability (they are members of a body called "IPSO" instead, which doesn't have regulatory powers and is controlled by the press).
We need the Government to act to stop press bullying & abuse. Add your name today.
