Labour Policy Watch: Media

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	Under the Tories, ownership of the main media outlets in press and broadcasting became concentrated in fewer hands, and many of these were foreign companies. Under leaders appointed by the Tories, the BBC was submitted to market disciplines and encouraged to commercialise its services and work with private partners, but its licence was extended to 2001 and its Royal Charter to 2006. The Broadcasting Act imposed quality standards on terrestrial TV channels (and originally requested them of cable TV) but not on Sky TV, which also had monopoly rights over the encryption system for satellite TV. Much high profile sports coverage went to Sky, who could outbid other broadcasters. The freedom of the press to collect information and to keep their sources confidential was restricted.
	Labour policy was:
	1	To prevent any one company owning a significant proportion of our press and broadcasting
	2	To limit the foreign ownership of our newspapers or TV (?)
	3	To defend public service broadcasting, so that the range of programmes was not narrowed by commercial considerations
	4	To impose the same standards on all broadcasters and end Sky's monopoly rights
	5	To end privatisation threats to the BBC and continue funding it by the licence fee
	6	To establish a statutory press commission and give a right of reply to those misrepresented by the press
	7	To protect the rights of journalists and the freedom of the press
	8	To stop distributors discriminating against small circulation papers and magazines
	In fact under New Labour:
	1	Rules on media ownership have been further relaxed,(?)
	2	There are plans (?) to scrap all rules on foreign media ownership
	3	Broadcasters other than the BBC are to regulate their own media standards
	4	The BBC now uses another satellite without encryption but there are still no quality standards on Sky
	5	Large parts of the BBC have been or are to be privatised and there is a threat that the licence fee could be shared with its private rivals
	6	Statutory regulation has been rejected and nothing done on right to reply
	7	?
	8	No action has been taken on distribution rights
	In addition:
		Some important sports events must be shown on terrestrial TV, but others continue to be lost to Sky
		Bids by broadcasters to buy football clubs, and so "sit on both sides of the table" when broadcasting rights were negotiated, were blocked after pressure by fans, etc.
		Internet services have been greatly extended in schools and libraries
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