03


What the main parties are promising


Frances Rafferty reviews what the party manifestos say about the media


perspectives of the entire nation with diversity of thought, accuracy and impartiality as its guiding principles”. It promises it will review the BBC licence and funding and introduce a new complaints process, “so the BBC does not mark its own homework”. It will oppose any atempts to re-open the Leveson Inquiry or the royal charter on press regulation. It claims it will support the World Service but does not promise extra funding. Te Labour Party’s manifesto says very litle about the media industry and journalism. It describes the Conservative


T


government’s atacks on the BBC as “undermining” and says: “We will work constructively with the BBC and our other public service broadcasters so they continue to inform, educate and entertain people, and support the creative economy by


he Conservative’s manifesto has a pop at the BBC, saying it “should represent the


commissioning distinctively British content.” Although not in the manifesto, David Lammy, shadow foreign secretary, has said Labour


would take action on SLAPPs. Te LibDems support a Leveson-compliant regulation “to ensure privacy, quality, diversity and choice in both print and online media”


and proceed with Part Two of


the Leveson Inquiry to investigate relations between journalists and the police, in particular what happened at News International. Tey promise to properly fund the BBC World Service from the Foreign Office budget, support public service broadcasting and increase the Digital Services Tax on social media firms and other tech giants from 2 per cent to 6 per cent. Tey intend to bring in an anti-SLAPPS law and “support modern and flexible patent, copyright and licensing rules”. If elected, the Greens would change the law so no single individual or company could own more than 20 per cent of


any media market, push through all the reforms proposed in the second part of the 2012 Leveson Report and provide “grants to encourage the growth of a wider range of civic minded local news publishers”. Plaid Cymru supports the devolution of broadcasting powers to Wales, and the establishment of a Welsh independent Broadcasting Authority. Tey would


instigate a Welsh Freelancers


Fund to support the creative sector and push for Wales to be represented at Eurovision. Under the SNP, Gaelic


broadcasting would be given a statutory parity of esteem with Welsh- language newscasting and ensure proportional funding for BBC Alba. All major Scotish national team sports would be available on free-to-air channels. Nigel Farage’s Reform


UK would scrap BBC TV and pass a Free Speech Bill to “legislate to stop leſt-wing bias and politically correct ideology that threatens personal freedom and democracy”.


ELECTION


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8