Bleak outlook on the news front

Abstract

The House of Lords Communications Committee recommends more muscle for the broadcasting watchdog, yet Ofcom's report reads like a souped-up store catalogue, writes academic Petley. And he attacks Ofcom's latest reports: "New News [the Lords report] and Ofcom's first and second PSB review demonstrate in the clearest possible manner that what the vast majority of UK citizens want is, at the very least, the maintenance of the current level of provision of regional news programmes on ITV. But what does the Annual Report highlight as Ofcom's proudest achievement in 2007/8 in terms of "improving compliance and empowering citizens and consumers"? Clamping down on the mis-selling of mobile phones, making it easier to switch mobile phone operators, introducing protection against "slamming" (having your phone account moved to another provider without your knowledge), imposing fines on broadcasters for operating premium phone line scams, and requiring Channel 4 to broadcast Ofcom's censure of Celebrity Big Brother 2007 on three separate occasions." This signals that the prospects for public service broadcasting as a whole, let alone regional news provision on ITV, are indeed bleak in the extreme.