To: The UK Minister for Culture, Media and Sport.
End Unfair Access To Media Employment and Decision-Making
I want the UK Government to introduce legislation to Parliament. The legislation should ensure that the public are informed,on a daily basis of 3 things by each newspaper, newspaper section, magazine, TV and Radio Channel and TV and Radio Programme:
1/ What is the educational background of all directors, producers, programme -makers, researchers, journalists, contributors, panelists, editorial staff, newspaper/magazine and TV/Radio station board and owners? ( i.e. were individuals privately educated and/or did they attend or graduate from Oxford or Cambridge University plus what percentage in each category were or were not so educated?)
2/ How many have been employed/taken on by each Programme and Channel and Newspaper and Magazine in the past year, 5 years, 10 years, 20 years, 30 years via unpaid internships?...and finally,
3/ How many people employed by each programme, newspaper, magazine, radio or TV channel have currently or ever had, a relative, family friend, friend or school or university colleague working in the same or different branch or body of the media as themselves?
1/ What is the educational background of all directors, producers, programme -makers, researchers, journalists, contributors, panelists, editorial staff, newspaper/magazine and TV/Radio station board and owners? ( i.e. were individuals privately educated and/or did they attend or graduate from Oxford or Cambridge University plus what percentage in each category were or were not so educated?)
2/ How many have been employed/taken on by each Programme and Channel and Newspaper and Magazine in the past year, 5 years, 10 years, 20 years, 30 years via unpaid internships?...and finally,
3/ How many people employed by each programme, newspaper, magazine, radio or TV channel have currently or ever had, a relative, family friend, friend or school or university colleague working in the same or different branch or body of the media as themselves?
Why is this important?
This matters because the general public have a right to know if access to employment and/or decision making bodies in the media are open only to a narrow section of society, which either wilfully or innocently perpetuates itself within these occupations and other forms of participation in media output and decision making to the detriment of our wider society.
