The Phone Hacking Scandal: Journalism on Trial- Advise to Murdoch

As mentioned in a previous article, Roy Greenslade, Guardian contributor, is currently publishing extracts from ‘The Phone Hacking Scandal: Journalism on Trial’, written by a number of contributors and edited it by Coventry University’s own John Mair and also, lecturer at the University of Lincoln, Richard Lance Keeble.

Greenslade’s last post on his Guardian blog about the book was an extract from former director general of the Public Relations Consultants Association, Patrick Barrow with some advice to Rupert Murdoch following on from the scandal.

Written by Alex Maidment

Can Coventry Conversations conclude Cameron & Coulson Controversy?

“The North Korean’s couldn’t come up with better propaganda than the Murdoch’s.”

Nicholas Jones, famous for his previous political reporting at the BBC, described one of the Sun’s many iconic front pages. May 5^th 2005 sees Tony Blair and Gordon Brown spliced in to two Manchester United football tops featuring the headline “Come on you Reds!”

When looking at how loyal Murdoch’s signature paper was to the Labour party during Blair’s run as Prime Minister, its tough to imagine that this is the same paper David Cameron occasionally wrote for and stands by to this day, despite the incredulous fall from grace the Murdoch family is currently undergoing.

It illustrates the point that Jones made earlier in today’s Coventry Conversation; for years the Prime Minister was so fearful of Rupert Murdoch and his army of media that they would dance to whatever music the fallen media baron played.

This is the effect that Andy Coulson had, or even has on the current Prime Minister. His link with Rupert Murdoch helped secure British public support of the Conservative party leader. The effect the ‘Red Tops’ have had on the country is undeniable; their persistent campaigns have changed laws – the campaign for ridding the country of plastic bags was a success within 3 days; they topple high-level officials – the Baby P debacle cost the jobs of at least five Haringey Council Staff; and they win and lose elections for Prime Ministers – Neil Kinnock never did get a chance to turn out the lights.

Written by Huw Hopkins – Student

Murdoch In Crisis

The internet connections are flaky here but the messages are coming across loud and clear from London. Murdoch is trouble. Deep trouble.Few signs for him at the end of their tunnel called ‘Phone Hacking’. He,Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson must wish they never met Glen Mulcaire the footballer turned private detective with a contacts book to die for!

The twists and turns of the collapse as they have developed over the last eleven days are scarcely conceivable to one who has grown up used to the pervasive and ever increasing influence of ‘Roop’ on British journalism and the media.(BBC journos losing their jobs might remember that Sky’s revenue in the UK is now getting on for double the amount raised by the BBC licence fee as BBC DG Thompson pointed out in his Mactaggart last year).

Writes John Mair…

Will Lord Patten Save the BBC?

If you have handled the minefield of the Chinese Communist takeover of Hong Kong as the last Governor, then surely the machinations of the BBC should be a piece of cake for Lord Chris Patten, the newly appointed Chairman of the BBC Trust, perhaps.

Lord Patten is a skilled diplomat, albeit one who, in his own words, “hardly ever watches television” but he will have his work cut out at Auntie if she is to survive intact. It is fair to say that the Corporation is experiencing one of its all too regular corporate nervous breakdowns. The BBC will recover and survive, it always does. But in what shape? That is the Big Question.

Their big problems are the Tories and Rupert Murdoch. Sometimes one and the same thing. The Conservatives are not natural BBC allies. Late last year, in just over a week, they forced Director General Mark Thompson to accept a ‘good’ licence fee settlement, which meant 16% cuts in real terms in the BBC  budget over six years. Thompson and the BBC took on not just paying for the normal BBC services, but also the World Service, S4C and paying for Jeremy Hunt’s local TV experiment out of the static licence fee. Only the kitchen sink was not thrown in by Hunt and Chancellor George Osborne to that deal. That 16% has now become 20% or even higher as reality hits the BBC. Bodies are being thrown out in scores, swathes of producers are being made redundant, BBC online is to be cut back by 25%, BBC local radio is said to face 700 redundancies and daytime programming may soon go from BBC2. Salami slicing is the order of the day, though losing a whole service or channel, BBC Three and Four are hot favourites. Must be the nuclear saving option for Thompson and his team. Writes John Mair…

IS THERE LIFE AFTER THE SUN?

EX SUN EDITOR DAVID YELLAND RETURNS TO HIS ALMA MATER

Strange beasts ex tabloid editors.They either go up(Hugh Cudlipp,Rebekah Wade,David Montgomery) or out (too numerous to list). One of the latter David Yelland editor of the Sun for five years to 2003 came to share his wisdom with today’s journalism students at his alma mater-Coventry University. Yelland studied economics there nearly three decades ago. This was his first public return-to speak at the Coventry Conversations the successful weekly series which brings media movers and shakers to Coventry each and every week. Writes John Mair…