Letter from Newsquest Media Group
HOUSE OF
LORDS SELECT
COMMITTEE ON
COMMUNICATIONS
Thank you for your letter of 30 November regarding
an inquiry into "Media Ownership and the News."
I am pleased to answer the questions you raise
and confirm that editorial freedom is an essential part of Newsquest's
policy.
— Our guidelines state that editors
must "produce newspapers that reflect the views of their
communities and are their voice. Our newspapers must be the authoritative
source of news that readers can trust. It is also their role to
help their communities meet change."
— Our editors are entirely free to
decide the news agendas of the titles they edit. I cannot recall
an instance in which management has informed an editor of the
company's view on a particular story. This would most likely only
arise in the event that the above policy was not seen to be followed.
— I am unaware of Newsquest management
ever pulling or altering a story based on the commercial interests
of the group. There have, however, been instances over the years
where advertising revenue has been lost because of stories that
were published.
— I would say that local advertisers
have no influence over the editorial content of our newspapers.
In essence, Newsquest strongly believes that
editorial independence is fundamental to its success in serving
local and regional communities. Our franchise has been built on
trust, and allowing individual editors the freedom to edit without
management influence is a key element of maintaining that trust.
I hope you find this helpful.
3 December 2007
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