Different approaches to journalism
144. A more subtle but potentially more powerful
influence can be exercised over the whole journalistic ethos of
a news organisation or broadcaster, which in turn can determine
the news output. This influence can emanate from the particular
vision of an owner or an editor-in-chief, from a family ownership
tradition, or from structural or organisational principles which
dictate a particular editorial direction. These influences can
be manifested through what kind of journalism is invested in,
and what kinds of stories are followed or not followed. Such influence
may be reflected as much in what does not appear in a newspaper
or news bulletin as what does.
145. An example of this type of influence is
given in William Shawcross's biography of Rupert Murdoch. Shawcross
suggested that "The ethos of News [Corporation] discouraged
independent investigation or troublesome journalism
Murdoch
was generally disinclined to upset the established order"[39]
and "He believed that Watergate-type investigations were
not the purpose of journalism"[40].
The late Hugo Young, who had been a political columnist on The
Sunday Times and subsequently became chairman of the Scott Trust,
wrote in 1984 of the impact of Murdoch's takeover of The Sunday
Times that "The investigative tradition, which depends on
detachment and irreverence as well as professional competence,
has been all but abandoned"[41].
146. Another example of such influence was given
in the evidence of Dominic Lawson. For his first eight years
as Editor of The Sunday Telegraph Mr Lawson worked for Conrad
Black but in 2004 the paper was bought out by the Barclay family.
Mr Lawson told the Committee that "Conrad Black was
a great international figure, a global figure, so you had very
good foreign pages. The Barclays are more parochial figures and
you now find that The Telegraph has no full-time staff correspondent
in Paris, no full-time staff correspondent in Brussels, and you
see then that it is picking up agency copy which appears under
the title of "By Telegraph correspondent" which it clearly
is not" (Q 938). He also suggested that "Conrad
Black understood that a lot of what newspapers did was about causing
trouble, making mischief, throwing bricks through windowswhat
newspapers do from time immemorial. I think the Barclay brothers
want a quiet life, do not want any aggro, want it all to be nice
and smooth" (Q 933).
147. However, in his evidence to us William Lewis,
the current Editor-in-Chief of The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday
Telegraph, defended the Barclays, saying that he did not recognize
Mr Lawson's description of them and their approach to foreign
reporting (Q 1433). We cannot know the exact details of how
the change in ownership has affected The Sunday Telegraph but
what is important about Mr Lawson's evidence is that is an
illustration of an editor who felt that he was being asked to
approach journalism differently after an ownership change.
148. When Andrew Marr was appointed as Editor
of The Independent the newspaper had two large shareholders with
the same percentage of shares: the Mirror Group and Tony O'Reilly's
Independent News and Media. Mr Marr told us that "There
was an intense pressure about what sort of paper it was going
to be in terms of what it covered and its news agenda and all
those sorts of things from the Mirror Group side" (Q 911).
149. Alan Rusbridger, the Editor of The Guardian,
told us that the journalistic ethos of his paper is protected
by the Scott Trust and its principles. He explained that the paper
is still run according to the dictum of "Comment is free,
fact is sacred" and that the paper took a decision not to
follow the fashion of blurring the lines between fact and comment
(Q 205). He also told us that it was a deliberately "specialist-led"
newspaper, with 37 specialists including four science correspondents,
seven political correspondents and between four and five covering
education (Q 233), although we note that he also said that
The Guardian now employs fewer specialist correspondents than
it once did (Q 222).
150. We heard evidence from broadcasters that,
despite being subject to stricter regulatory codes on accuracy
and impartiality, there are still clear organisational and cultural
values which influence their news output and ensure the necessary
diversity in broadcast news. Independent Television News told
us that, while they retain complete editorial control over their
bulletins, they provide a service to their customers (the broadcasters)
according to their requirements (Q 12).
151. Each of the three commercial public service
broadcasters made it clear that they frame their editorial requirements
differently. For Channel 4, Jim Gray told us that Channel
4 consciously looks for depth, range and perspectives "not
pursued elsewhere" (Q 78). Dorothy Byrne talked of "seeing
the world from perspectives of other people" and taking a
multiculturalist approach. She told us that each news programme
had a detailed editorial specification to achieve those aims for
Channel 4 news programmes, although the day-to-day realisation
of those aims was up to ITN. There was daily contact about the
content of particular bulletins and a weekly meeting to discuss
forward strategy (Q 86). It is therefore clear that, while
ITN is free to implement Channel 4's news brief according to its
own standards of journalistic professionalism and integrity, the
overall news agenda and news framework is laid down by Channel
4. The channel, in turn, derives its approach to news from its
statutory obligations laid down by the Communications Act 2003.
152. For ITV, Michael Grade told us that ITN
provided a "different product" to the BBC and believed
that it "has always felt more accessible without being frivolous"
(Q 998). While the day-to-day news agenda is again delegated
to ITN, the commissioning editor of ITV has conversations with
ITN about what is being planned. For example, Mark Wood, the Chief
Executive of ITN, told us that "we provide a service to our
customers around their requirements and we agree with them in
quite intense coordination, what kind of news service they want
However, there is then a very clear dividing line, on the
other side of which is editorial control. Editorial control is
with the editorial management with ITN and is, if you like, sacrosanct"
(Q 12).
153. For Five, Sue Robertson told us that the
face and type of news broadcast reflects the personality or brand
of your channel (Q 150). Chris Shaw said that the channel
lays down the overall strategy for its news bulletins and will
discuss programmes post-transmission but the day-to-day decision
making is left to Sky. He also said that they seek to make it
to bring a "distinctive approach" to their news, which
they want to be "fresher, clearer, more straightforward than
others", with the emphasis on clarity and accessibility (QQ 131,
132). Five does not seek to do long-form investigative reports,
and does not see investigative journalism as its hallmark. In
all three cases, it is clear that the news requirements are designed
to fit in with the culture, branding and general approach of the
respective channels.
Different ownership structures
154. It is clear from the evidence above that
the approach an owner takes to a news organisation can affect
content in several different ways. We believe that different ownership
structures could have different impacts on journalism and content.
The experience of Leonard Downie Jr that we outlined in para 141
suggests that in the United States the content of regional newspapers
was changed when the large conglomerates which were accountable
to shareholders started to buy the titles from private family-run
companies which were under less pressure to make profits.
155. In the UK most national newspapers are owned
by public companies such as DMGT, or by private companies such
as the Telegraph Group. However, The Guardian and The Observer
are owned by the Scott Trust, which was created in 1936 to safeguard
the journalistic independence and liberal values of The Guardian.
Alan Rusbridger told us that he believed that because there is
no board or proprietor or publisher, there is a "different
kind of editorial process
your relationship is purely on
a horizontal level with your colleagues and your readers and I
think that makes you more conscious and possibly more accountable
to your readers" (Q 208). Paul Myners, the Chairman
of the Guardian Media Group, suggested that the Trust model "gives
the editors a degree of independence and freedom which I think
is admirable and something which is a source of distinct advantage
to us" (Q 2473).
Conclusion
156. It is clear that the ownership of a news
organisation can impact on its content.
157. In broadcast news, the presence of content
regulation and impartiality rules limits the kind of influence
an owner can have. However, owners of broadcast news can have
an impact on content through setting an editorial agenda and through
the levels of investment in journalism that they are willing to
make. For the commercial PSBs, issues of quantity, scheduling
and (in ITV's case) resources are regulated by Ofcom, but beyond
that news output is at the discretion of the broadcaster. For
the BBC, news output is monitored by the Trust and editorial decisions
will to some extent depend on the service licences to be agreed
for each individual BBC TV channel and radio station.
158. However, for newspapers and internet news
providers, there are more varied and more frequent opportunities
for owners to influence content. Examples in this chapter show
that owners have several potential mechanisms of influencewhether
that be direct interference in a story, communication to the editor
of what is expected of him, appointment of an editor and team
that reflect a particular world view, investment in journalism
or investment in specific types of journalism[42].
159. As Professor Baker, from the University
of Pennsylvania Law School, told us during our US visit: proprietors
have always influenced the agendas of their newspapers. Historically
this was not a threat as no single proprietor controlled too much
of the media. As the next chapter shows, this may no longer be
the case.
32 Jeremy Tunstall, Newspaper Power, Clarendon
Press, 1996, pg. 79. Back
33
Andrew Neil, Full Disclosure, Pan Books, 1996. Back
34
Max Hastings, Editor, Macmillan, 2002, p67. Back
35
Ibid. Back
36
David Hellier, Life with Richard Desmond, British Journalism
Review 2003; 14; 35. Back
37
Mr David Sullivan and The Bristol Evening Post PLC: A report on
the proposed transfer of a controlling interest as defined in
section 57(4) of the Fair Trading Act 1973. The Monopolies and
Mergers Commission 1990. http://www.competition-commission.org.uk/rep_pub/reports/1990/274david.htm
Back
38
Although we note that in some companies the dismissal of an Editor
is a decision taken by the whole Board. In her evidence, Sly Bailey
the Chief Executive of Trinity Mirror, told us that when she wished
to dismiss Piers Morgan as Editor of the Daily Mirror she made
a recommendation to the Board (Q 2653). Back
39
William Shawcross, Murdoch, 1994, Pocket Books, pg. 298. Back
40
Ibid, pg. 266. Back
41
Article in Political Quarterly, quoted in: Nick Davies Flat
Earth News, Chatto and Windus, 2008, pg. 303. Back
42
Although in the case of broadcasting, some of these mechanisms
of influence cannot operate due to content and standards regulation. Back