Lords to consider role of news agencies and producers in UK media plurality
On Tuesday 8 October, the House of Lords Communications Committee will take evidence from the Chief Executive of ITN, John Hardie, and the Chief Executive of The Press Association, Clive Marshall.
The Committee will also hear from media commentators Steve Hewlett, of the BBC Media Show and Roy Greenslade, Professor of Journalism at City University.
Media plurality refers to the diversity of perspectives and agendas available in the UK media. It is occasionally argued that the range of these perspectives depends not only on the variety of channels and titles available to UK citizens, but also on the range of 'news wholesalers' from which the news can be sourced in the first place.
The Committee will put questions to the Chief Executives of ITN and the Press Association from 4:30pm. They will address matters arising, for example, from the fact that the news programmes of all three of the commercially-funded public service broadcasters, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 are produced by ITN; and that an important degree of the news gathering relied on by the UK's national newspapers is provided by agencies such as The Press Association.
Prior to that, the Committee will explore these issues alongside a number of other broader questions relating to media plurality with Mr. Hewlett and Professor Greenslade.
The evidence sessions will start at 3:30pm on Tuesday 8 October in Committee Room 2 of the House of Lords.