Over 100 entries have been shortlisted for the 45th Scottish Press Awards, it has been announced. The awards recognise excellence in national, regional, and digital journalism from across the country.
With 26 categories featuring a mix of several long-standing award titles complemented by a range of new-look categories, the judges have received a flood of entries, representing the finest talent from across the industry.
The finalists will be hoping to scoop an award from a range of categories including politics, business, sport, and the arts.
This full list of categories for 2024 includes:
Arts and Entertainment Journalist of the Year
Best Coverage of a Live Event
Campaign of the Year
Columnist of the Year
Feature Writer of the Year
Financial/Business Journalist of the Year
Food and Drink Writer of the Year
Front Page of the Year
Journalism Team of the Year
Lifetime Achievement Award (not applicable for entry, chosen by the editors’ committee)
Scottish Newsbrand of the Year
News Photographer of the Year
Nicola Barry Award
Podcast of the Year
Political Journalist of the Year
Regional Journalist of the Year
Reporter of the Year
Specialist Reporter of the Year
Sports Columnist of the Year
Sports Feature Writer of the Year
Sports News Writer of the Year
Sports Photographer of the Year
Weekly Journalist of the Year
Weekly Newsbrand of the Year
Young Journalist of the Year
Journalist of the Year (not applicable for entry, chosen by the judges)
Shortlists for the sought-after Scottish Newsbrand of the Year, Journalist of the Year, and Lifetime Achievement Award have not been revealed as winners will be announced on the night of the ceremony. The shortlist for Weekly Newsbrand of the Year will be revealed in May.
This year’s judging panel was led by Richard Neville, former Head of News Brands at DC Thomson, and current Director of Neville Robertson Communications.
Richard Neville, chair of the Scottish Press Awards judges, said:“It has been fantastic to see the quality of entries to this year’s awards. The talent in this industry stretches right across the spectrum of digital and print publishing and across every region of the country.
“The need for incisive, challenging journalism grows every year and Scotland’s journalists have risen to the task in the past 12 months.
“Telling good stories will always be at the heart of what the industry does but holding the rich, powerful, and opportunistic chancers to account is of equal importance. It is clear from this year’s shortlist that Scotland is not a place to come to avoid scrutiny.”
The 45th Scottish Press Awards are sponsored by Royal Bank of Scotland, Diageo, VisitScotland, Edrington, Openreach, Glenmorangie, The Law Society of Scotland, Caledonian MacBrayne, Registers of Scotland, Muckle Media, Amazon, Women in Journalism Scotland, BIG Partnership, Weber Shandwick, Event Consultants Scotland and Newsbrands Scotland.
Overseen by Newsbrands Scotland (formerly the Scottish Newspaper Society), the awards ceremony and dinner will take place at the DoubleTree by Hilton Glasgow Central on 29 May 2024.
For more information and to view the shortlist, visit:
Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson is joining GB News as a programme maker, presenter, and commentator.
Johnson joins in the new year and will ‘play a key role in the channel’s coverage of both the UK general election and the US elections next year’.
He will create and present a new series showcasing the power of Britain around the world, as well as hosting the occasional special in front of live audiences around the UK.
Announcing his first major broadcast role, Boris Jonson said: “GB News is an insurgent channel with a loyal and growing following. I am excited to say I will be joining shortly – and offering my frank opinions on world affairs.”
He said of the new series: “I will be talking about the immense opportunities for Global Britain – as well as the challenges – and why our best days are yet to come.”
In a video Boris also promised he would “be giving this remarkable new TV channel my unvarnished views on everything from Russia, China, the war in Ukraine, and how we meet all of those challenges, to the huge opportunities that lie ahead for us.”
Editorial Director Michael Booker said: “I’m delighted to say, GB News has got Boris ‘done’!
“We are tremendously proud to have him join the GB News family, particularly as we head into a seismic year for politics both here and across the Atlantic.
“Boris has been the most influential Prime Minister of our generation and his unique insight into domestic and world affairs will be a smash hit with our viewers and listeners.
“As well as his political skills, he’s an incredibly talented journalist and author, so we can’t wait to start working with him on what will be must-see TV.”
The trade association for Scotland’s news publishers, the Scottish Newspaper Society, has been renamed Newsbrands Scotland, dropping “newspaper” from its title for the first time in a history stretching back 108 years.
While printed newspapers remain an important part of news publishers’ operations, the name change reflects modern newsrooms which reach far bigger audiences through digital platforms, with news operations working round the clock to deliver news to readers in the format they want, when they want it.
Newsbrands Scotland’s inaugural president, National World plc’s chief commercial officer Mark Hollinshead, said: “Our newsbrands reach more people than they ever did in the print-only days and the new name of our trade association reflects the multi-platform reality of the modern newsroom.”
Industry research [TGI, December 2022] shows that nine out of ten adults in Scotland engage with print or digital newsbrands at least once a week and are seven per cent more likely to rely on newspapers to stay informed than UK adults. And according to the latest JICREG analysis, 96 per cent of Scots read a local brand once a month.
Mark added: “Ever since the advent of the internet, Scottish news publishers have been evolving and innovating to keep their audiences well-served with up-to-the-minute, trusted information and analysis, and the audience figures speak for themselves.
“Scottish newsbrands keep communities across the country well-informed and connected, have a vital role to play in holding national and local politicians to account for the decisions they make, and are an essential means for services, businesses and charities to communicate with their users and customers.”
Further research from the news industry marketing body Newsworks reveals people are 2.4 times more likely to find news brands reliable than social media, and three-quarters believe it is important their news comes from a respected and recognised news provider.
Newsbrands Scotland director John McLellan said “Our titles continue to provide a depth and breadth of coverage that few, if any, networks can match, and the fact that all our members are independently regulated is also vital for maintaining public trust.
“Readers want to know they are being provided with professionally produced news, and our commercial partners benefit because readers recognise they are in a trusted environment.
“News publishers also continue to support and train the journalists of the future, and it’s important for our name to reflect an industry that is always looking forward.”
The rebranding project was a collaborative effort across member companies, with the branding design produced by DC Thomson and the marketing campaign devised by National World, with input from News UK and Newsquest Scotland.
“This was a very good example of publishers working together for the benefit of the whole sector in Scotland, whether society members or not,” added John McLellan.
Forth 1, combined with sister station Greatest Hits Radio (Edinburgh, the Lothians, Fife and Falkirk), has enjoyed further record-breaking listener numbers – its best in over two decades.
The latest impressive RAJAR figures for Q2 2023 show a record number of listeners now listen to Forth 1 and sister station Greatest Hits Radio (Edinburgh, the Lothians, Fife and Falkirk).
An incredible 427,000* tune in across Edinburgh, the Lothians, Fife and Falkirk every week, which is an increase of 7,000 weekly listeners from the previous quarter and the highest total in 22 years.
That’s the equivalent of Easter Road and Tynecastle both at capacity – 10 times each!
Alongside Ewen and Cat’s award-winning breakfast show, the Ken Bruce effect has helped the Greatest Hits Network grow substantially across Scotland too, adding 51,000 weekly listeners to 553,000 (Q1 2023: 502,000).
Ken’s first show on Greatest Hits Radio across the UK – which features his popular music trivia quiz PopMaster – first aired on Monday 3rd of April 2023.
Clyde 1 and Forth 1 combined remain over the 1 million mark with 1,008,000 listeners.
There were some other great results across its stations in Scotland, with across in the West, combined Clyde 1 & Greatest Hits Radio Glasgow & The West also having record breaking results with 773,000 weekly listeners – the highest in 19 years!
Sister stations MFR, Northsound 1 and Tay FM are all up in reach too since the last set of results.
And when you combine all of the Scottish Hits Network and Greatest Hits stations, they now have a weekly total of 1,791,000 listeners – also the highest total in nearly 20 years.
Victoria Easton-Riley, Content Director for the Hits & Greatest Hits Networks across Scotland, said:“After record breaking numbers in our last set of RAJAR figures, it really is quite remarkable that Boogie, Arlene, Marty and the rest of the team have managed to break that record again by adding another 7,000 weekly listeners.
“These record breaking listener numbers are a testament to the talent and hard work of our whole team broadcasting live from our wonderful studios in St James Quarter each and every day and across the rest of Scotland.
“A huge thank you to the whole team on and off air who make this happen and the brilliant support from our listeners, clients, partners and sponsors.”
The shortlist for the 44th Scottish Press Awards has been announced, recognising excellence in national, regional and digital journalism from across the country.
With 34 categories this year, the judges have received a flood of entries, representing the finest talent from across the industry, with 145 finalists will be hoping to scoop an award in a range of categories including politics, business, sport and the arts.
The categories are:
Arts and Entertainment Journalist of the Year
Best Coverage of a Live Event
Campaign of the Year
Columnist of the Year
Feature Writer of the Year
Financial/Business Journalist of the Year
Food and Drink Writer of the Year
Front Page of the Year
Interviewer of the Year
Journalism Team of the Year
Local Campaign of the Year
Local Feature Writer of the Year
Local Reporter of the Year
News Photographer of the Year
News Website of the Year
Nicola Barry award
Podcast of the Year
Political Journalist of the Year
Regional Feature Writer of the Year
Regional Reporter of the Year
Reporter of the Year
Scoop of the Year
Specialist Reporter of the Year
Sports Columnist of the Year
Sports Feature Writer of the Year
Sports News Writer of the Year
Sports Photographer of the Year
Student of the Year
Young Journalist of the Year
Weekly Newspaper of the year
Daily Newspaper of the Year
Sunday Newspaper of the Year
Journalist of the Year
Chairperson’s Award
Shortlists for the sought-after Daily Newspaper of the Year, Sunday Newspaper of the Year, Journalist of the Year and Chairperson’s Award have not been announced, as the winners will be announced on the night of the ceremony. The shortlist for the Weekly Newspaper of the Year will be revealed in May.
This year’s judging panel was led by Richard Neville, former Head of News Brands at DC Thomson and current Director of Neville Robertson Communications.
Richard Neville, chair of the Scottish Press Awards judges, said: “The pressure on journalists and news organisations continues to grow every year and, despite the incredible challenges the industry faces, the quality of entries to The Scottish Press Awards continues unabated.
“This year has been one of further diversification with digital content becoming the central feature of many newsrooms. At the heart of every entry, however, is simple good storytelling, digital or otherwise.
“While selecting the winners has been as difficult as ever, it has been clear throughout the process that Scotland is being well served because of the value our journalists and editors are placing on telling great stories, in every format.”
The 44th Scottish Press Awards are sponsored by Royal Bank of Scotland, Diageo, VisitScotland, Edrington, Openreach, Glenmorangie, The Law Society of Scotland, Muckle Media, Women in Journalism Scotland, BIG Partnership, Registrars of Scotland. Event Consultants Scotland and Scottish Newspaper Society.
The awards ceremony and dinner will take place at the DoubleTree by Hilton Glasgow Central on Wednesday 7 June 2023.
For more information and to view the (not-so-short!) shortlist, visit:
Young people aged from 5 to 17 who excel in what they do – regardless of any diversity – are to be celebrated in a new awards programme to be launched at the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh.
The Inspire Awards 2023 are a new initiative from the British Youth International College (BYITC), which was founded in 2015 by Glasgow-based academic and educator Dr Rashmi Mantri to help children learn maths.
Inspired by the success of the college, which now runs 10 global franchises, Dr Mantri hopes the new BYITC Inspire Awards will recognise ‘Super Achievers’ young people from all backgrounds who have excelled in fields including the environment, sports, media, art and creativity, science, technology, engineering & mathematics (STEM).
The awards will take place at the Scottish Parliament between 5.30pm to 7.30pm on Tuesday 6 June 2023 and will be overseen by a high-profile judging panel which includes Professor Eleanor Shaw OBE, Associate Principal of the University of Strathclyde, and entrepreneur Dr Poonam Gupta OBE, Chief Executive of PG Paper, an international paper company based in Scotland.
Dr Mantri said: “I’ve seen first hand how achievement in learning and skills can fill young people with confidence and show them how amazing they really are.
“Through BYITC, we’ve helped thousands of students excel in maths, English, programming and cyber security.
“Now with the Inspire Awards, we want to celebrate diversity and inclusion and recognise young people from all backgrounds who are making their futures brighter by learning and excelling in whatever they choose to do.”
There are eight categories in the BYITC Inspire Awards 2023 and 28 prizes. These are:
ENVIRONMENT
Global Warming Crusader
Share your project/work with regards to global warming and pollution
Best out of waste
Share your projects on creating useful things out of waste
Energy Conservation
Kids with exemplary achievement in the field of environmental awareness, conservation and preservation
Kids with exceptional Rubics-solving and speed-cubing skills
Best Robotics
Achievements in best robotic projects and designs
Super Scientist
Bring forward your scientific innovations
LANGUAGE & LITERATURE
Best Bookworm
Share the name of the best book that you have read and what are the learnings from it
Best Orator
Public speakers with exceptional oratory skills
Bring out the poet in you
Share your best creation in short poems
Young Authors
Share your best creations (Stories)
SPORTS
Chess Maestro
Share your achievements in Chess
Martial Arts Champ
Share your achievements in Karate, Judo, Taekwondo and Boxing
Badminton Champ
Share your achievements in Badminton
Cricket Champ
Share your achievements in Cricket
CULTURAL & SOCIAL
Best Foot Forward- Dance
Dance your way to the awards (Any style)
Singing Sensation
Sing your way to our hearts (Any style)
Best Youth Icon
Kids who are icons in their own fields and are inspiring kids around them (Any field)
Covid Hero
Share with us the good work you have done during COVID and Lockdown
Emerging Leader
Display your team leading skills
MEDIA
Young YouTuber/Young Influencer
Share your channel’s name and link and let us know about your fan following
Best Podcast
Share your 1-minute podcast with us (Any Topic)
Make a Minute Video
Share Your 1-minute video (Edited, any topic)
ART AND CREATIVITY
Best Creative Designer
Share your best creative specimen in Painting, Sketching, Doodling and Craft
Calligraphy
Share your best specimen in Calligraphy
Young Master Chef
Whip up a storm. Share a video of your best unique recipe
ACADEMICS
Best Performer
Star performer in any field
Whiz Kid
Share your problem-solving and decision-making skills
The other award judges are Professor Bill Buchanan OBE, Professor of Applied Cryptography at Edinburgh Napier University; Rohini Sharma Joshi OBE, Diversity and Inclusion Consultant; Derek Timpany, Education Management Consultant; Jai Aenugu, Founder of Aberdeen-based cyber security consultancy TechForce, and Harminder Berman, a former Arts Development Officer with culture and sports charity, Glasgow Life.
Dr Mantri set up BYITC after using an abacus to teach her son basic arithmetic. The college now runs global franchises, including Dubai and Sri Lanka, and recently launched its first UK franchise in Basingstoke, Hampshire.
Further UK franchises are anticipated in the coming months.
Scottish Youth Film Foundation (SYFF) and COP26 Principal Partner ScottishPower has unveiled the team of young filmmakers who have been selected to bring the voice of young Scotland to COP26.
Twelve young Scots from across the country and aged between 16 and 21 are being trained to film, direct, present and produce content which will be broadcast daily to a global audience as COP TV during the environmental conference.
SYFF co-founder Scott Mackay who has been working with the young people this summer, said of the global project: “COP TV is a fantastic opportunity for young people to influence the climate change conversation on a global stage – to bring the voice of young Scotland to the world and the world to the young people of Scotland.
“Working with the team, I am so impressed with the knowledge, passion and enthusiasm they bring to the film-making process. They are a credit to Scotland and will be fantastic young ambassadors both to the delegates and climate change influencers we interview and to the global audience watching our daily broadcast.”
“We are hugely grateful to ScottishPower for their support. This promises to be a historic event and I’m honoured to be working with such a talented group of young Scots.”
Dr Sam Gardner, Head of Climate Change and Sustainability at ScottishPower, said: “We need everyone to play their part in tackling the climate emergency and we’ve already seen that the enthusiasm and determination of young people can not only influence the decision-makers, but can result in real and lasting change.
“COP26 is arguably the world’s most crucial conference on climate change yet. It’s where we hope to see real action taken to cut carbon emissions and limit the rise in global temperatures. ScottishPower is already playing its part, investing £10billion in the UK over five years – £6 million every working day – to double its renewable generation capacity and drive forward decarbonisation.
“I’m delighted to meet the team from COP TV and I look forward to seeing the stories and news they capture during COP broadcast worldwide.”
The team will be supported by Christie Paterson, an offshore environmental manager with ScottishPower’s parent company Iberdrola. Based out of ScottishPower’s Glasgow HQ, Christie works with Iberdrola windfarm projects worldwide, advising on how to reduce and monitor potential environmental impacts.
Christie said: “I think COP TV is a fantastic initiative and it’s been great to meet the team at our windfarm today.
“There are so many great stories to tell as we journey towards net zero and I hope I can help show this group of young filmmakers all the ways we are working to help protect the environment both here in the UK and at windfarms around the world.”
MEET the FILM-MAKERS:
Becky Gillan
Hiya! My name is Becky and I live in Edinburgh (Although I’m originally from South Lanarkshire). I study Government Policy and Society with Quantitative Methods at the University of Edinburgh and have a strong interest in economic, environmental, educational and health policy. A fun fact about me is that I work as a roller skating instructor.
With COP TV, I hope to be able to spread awareness of climate change both within my generation and beyond. As well as this I hope to be able to interview key environmental stakeholders and ask the difficult questions that young people need to know.
Josh Parker
I’m Josh, I’m 17 and I’m from the south side of Glasgow. I’m in my first year of university. I’ve been really interested in activism and have worked on a range of issues that affect young people.
I hope to bring greater awareness to the climate crisis among other young people and inspire people to get involved in learning more/taking action..
Emily Ritchie
I’m Emily, I’m 20 years old and I live just outside of Glasgow. I’ve recently graduated from City of Glasgow College, where I studied HNC Social Sciences.
My hope is, that through the COP TV project, I will be able to build upon my current understanding of both Climate Change and the media industry.
Going into this project, my experience was mainly media based – having made a few short films in the past, along with an interest in photography.
Already I have learned vital skills in filmmaking, more about what we can do to tackle the climate crisis and the importance of COP26, something that will hopefully continue throughout the COP TV project.
Meredith Rae
I’m Meredith, I’m 17 and from the Falkirk area. Started getting interest in this area by writing a piece for my school newspaper regarding climate, the pandemic and climate justice.
I’m aiming to do Film and Television with Politics at University of Glasgow in 2022 and in the past year created an initiative at school called ‘Lady Business’ which aimed to combat period poverty.
Joseph Olanlokun
My name is Joseph Olanlokun. I’m 17 and live in Armadale in West Lothian.
One day I want to be a film/TV director so I am interested in Directing, Screenwriting and Camera Work. It’s been fun working with COP TV so far because it’s given me the chance to meet like-minded people who are positive about Climate change.
I hope to influence the way young people think about climate change and I want more people to do their part in making the world a better place.
Zoe Conroy
My name is Zoë Conroy and I come from a village called Banchory. I am 17 years old and I am currently in my sixth year at Banchory Academy.
I also have lately secured a place at Edinburgh Napier for a 4 year long photography course starting in 2022.
I really hope to go into the fashion industry as I have always felt that change is necessary within. Change is something I am very used to. I was born in Houston Texas and lived there for 5 years, then moved to Dubai, where we stayed for 6 years and finally moved to Scotland.
As you can tell by now I don’t shy away from change and there must be change made if we want to combat the climate crisis.
I hope that COP TV will give me the opportunity to get myself and the other young people who are part of the team out there and our voices heard, so that the change is made.
Stella Duncan
My name is Stella and I come from Dumfries. I am 16 years old at present but I am aiming to do a university level qualification in global environmental issues alongside my advanced highers.
I’ve been part of the school’s eco-committee for quite a few years and outside of school I have been attending a local film making group (Scene 1 take 1) for almost 7 years.
Scarlett Alexander
Hi, I’m Scarlett from Ayr and I’m 16 years old. I am into lots of different fashion and music and I’ve been taking an interest lately not just in media and climate but how media can be more climate and carbon conscious.
Totally fascinated by the technology of broadcasting and I hope to get a real chance through COP TV to gain experience in camera work and editing. Currently making my own personal film for COP TV about waterways near my home town.
I recently had a chance to sit in on the editing of a documentary about Johnny Cash and his performance in San Quentin jail.
Rachel Henderson
I’ve taken part in school climate protests like the march in Glasgow in 2019. I’m 16 years old and currently studying Higher Drama. I go to Bishopbriggs Academy and I am a massive bookworm with my favourite book being ‘ The Midnight Library’ By Matt Haig.
I hope to gain more knowledge and insight on what’s going on in the world and to use the skills I learned to spread awareness and to inspire others to make change
Jasmin Robertson
17 years old and from Nairn I have attended the Friday climate strikes at school and I aim to improve our world throughout all my creative practices. Recent art projects have looked at things like plastic pollution and reforestation.
I am really looking forward to the act of making programmes and films; From the writing and planning to the editing and final transmission. I enjoy editing and can’t wait to get started making films for broadcast during COP 26.
Finlay McLennan
Hello! My name is Finlay, I am 17 years old and I live just outside of Inverness. I love trad and folk music and I play the fiddle with my band Cala.
What I hope to achieve at COP is inspiring other young people to be a part of the fight for climate change through the use of film and also to gain experience working in the media industry.
Charlie Topping
I’m Charlie. I’m 16 years old and from Drumchapel and just completed a short comedy horror film (despite the pandemic) for my Higher Media course.
Really looking forward to getting involved in all aspects of both broadcast and the climate crisis as we head to COP 26. Which will likely be the most important event to ever come to my hometown of Glasgow. Main focus – fast fashion.
DCMS Secretary of State writes about the importance of a free and diverse media
What makes a healthy democracy? The strongest and most progressive countries share lots of qualities, but they have two vital things in common: a free and diverse media and the right to dissent. This week, a vocal Twitter minority went after both (writes Department of Culture Media and Sport Secretary of State OLIVER DOWDEN) .
GB News had barely begun broadcasting when pressure group “Stop Funding Hate” tried to stifle it, piling the pressure on advertisers to boycott Britain’s newest current affairs channel for spreading “hate and division”. It came in a week when we had already witnessed free journalism under assault with the despicable harassment of BBC journalist Nick Watt.
It seems GB News’ biggest crime – or rather “pre-crime”, as it’s called in the dystopian Minority Report when people are proactively punished for wrongs they haven’t committed yet – was to signal that it might not always agree with the media consensus. When he launched the channel, veteran broadcaster Andrew Neil vowed that GB News would not be “an echo chamber for the metropolitan mindset”, and that it would “empower those who feel their concerns have been unheard”.
Rightly so. A free media is one that has a diverse range of opinions and voices – and as I said earlier this week, GB News is a welcome addition to that diversity. We need outlets and commentators who cover the range of the political spectrum; who can speak truth to power; and who are willing to challenge dogma or orthodoxy.
I’ve no doubt plenty of people will disagree with some of the things GB News commentators have to say – just as plenty of people disagree with the things they see and hear on the BBC, Sky News or any other media outlet. But if you don’t like those ideas, switch over – don’t silence. We shouldn’t be blocking people from the conversation simply because we disagree with them.
That is exactly why, when we were developing legislation to boost online safety and tackle social media abuse, I was determined to make sure it couldn’t be used to stifle debate. Every country is grappling with this – but I believe the UK has struck the right balance and carved a path for the rest of the world to follow with our Online Safety bill, which we published in draft form last month.
That bill will protect children online and help stamp out the vile social media abuse, including racism and misogyny. Crucially, though, it also includes strong safeguards for free speech and the freedom of the media.
There will be a new requirement for social media companies to protect freedom of expression. The largest social media platforms will need to be clear to users about what they allow on their sites, and enforce it consistently.
That means they won’t be able to arbitrarily remove content – and if a user feels they have, they’ll have a new right to appeal. Right now if content is removed there is no recourse to review or in many cases even get an explanation as to why material has been taken down. Our bill will enhance the protections in place.
We’ve also got special safeguards for journalistic and “democratically important” content. News publishers’ content won’t be in scope – whether it’s on their own sites or on other online services. Journalists will also benefit from increased protections when they post on social media. The largest platforms will also have to protect political opinions on their sites, even if certain activists or campaign groups don’t agree with them.
Those are the grounds of a functioning democracy. Sadly we can no longer take them for granted. Across the West, our values of tolerance and freedom of expression, for which previous generations have fought and died, increasingly risk being undermined by a small but vocal minority. For them, these are not absolute, but relative, concepts, ready to be bent to silence dissent from their world view.
“The Internet and the media landscape are broken. The dominant commercial Internet platforms endanger democracy. Despite all the great opportunities the Internet has offered to society and individuals, the digital giants have acquired unparalleled economic, political and cultural power.
“As currently organised, the Internet separates and divides instead of creating common spaces for negotiating difference and disagreement” (The Public Service Media and Public Service Internet Manifesto).
An international group of media experts has created a media and Internet manifesto. Released yesterday, the “Public Service Media and Public Service Internet Manifesto” demands the safeguarding of the existence, independence, and funding of Public Service Media such as the BBC as well as the creation of a Public Service Internet.
Prof Christian Fuchs, who is the Director of the Communication and Media Research Institute at the University of Westminster and co-initiated the Manifesto, commented: “Democracy requires Public Service Media and a Public Service Internet.
“The digital giants such as Facebook, YouTube/Google, Netflix, and Amazon dominate the Internet. The results have been monopolies, dataveillance, algorithmic politics, digital populism, the Internet as huge shopping mall, filter bubbles, fake news, post-truth culture, and a lack of debate.
“Our Manifesto demands the creation of a Public Service Internet so that Public Service Media are enabled and properly resourced to be able to provide online platforms that have a not-for-profit imperative and the digital remit to advance information, news, debate, democracy, education, entertainment, participation, and creativity with the help of the Internet”.
The Manifesto was created by a group of international media experts who engaged over several months in an online discussion and collaboration process utilising the ecomitee.com platform.
The Manifesto initiative is part of the research network InnoPSM: Innovation in Public Service Media Policies that was funded by the UK Arts and Humanities Council and is led by Dr Alessandro D’Arma from the University of Westminster and Dr Minna Horowitz from the University of Helsinki.
Dr Klaus Unterberger, who is Head of the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation’s Public Value Department and the Manifesto’s co-initiator, said: “Public communication is more than business. It is a public purpose. The global pandemic, accelerating climate change and increasing social inequalities have demonstrated the urgency of accountable and reliable news beyond fake news and polarization.
“We need a new Internet that provides a public sphere for citizens, not just for consumers. The existing infrastructure of Public Service Media must play a vital role in creating an alternative to the dominance of data companies. There are new opportunities for strengthening the public sphere and democracy. This is why we call for action”.
In the following months, the Manifesto will go global and ask supporters to sign it.
There will be several activities and events addressing media and communications policy makers, Public Service Media, civil society, and the public in order to create a broad coalition for the creation of a Public Service Internet.
The Public Service Media and Public Service Internet Manifesto:
A new initiative co-funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and supported by the New Statesman and Daily Mirror aims to increase opportunities for aspiring writers and journalists from under-represented backgrounds.
A WRITING CHANCE is a UK-wide programme, delivered by New Writing North and literature organisations nationally, with research from Northumbria University. It is looking for fresh perspectives and great stories from people whose voices have historically not been heard in publishing and the media.
Through mentoring with established writers and journalists, bursaries, insight days, broadcast and publication with by-lines, A Writing Chance seeks to prise open a persistently elitist industry to encourage access for all.
A Writing Chance is a positive intervention, designed to discover new talent, support new writers from under-represented backgrounds to break into the creative industries, and empower publishers and editors to make space for a broader range of perspectives.
Who gets to write for the British media we all read?
The media may be one of the most competitive industries to break into, but it isn’t a meritocracy. For many new writers, progress does not always correspond to their talent and those with huge potential are often held back by a range of barriers.
A London-centric industry; unpaid and low-paid internships; the casualisation of jobs; and a reliance on personal contacts make finding work in the media far more difficult for people from working-class and lower income backgrounds. What’s more, people from these backgrounds often face intersecting challenges due to historic under-representation in the media, including but not limited to ethnicity, disability, sexuality, gender identity, age and religious beliefs.
47% of authors and writers are from the most privileged social starting points, contrasting with only 10% from working-class backgrounds. Office for National Statistics’ Labour Force Survey, 2014
12.6% of those working in publishing come from working-class social origins, compared with a third of the population as a whole. Cultural Capital: Arts Graduates, Spatial Inequality, and London’s Impact on Cultural Labor Markets, 2017
Newspaper columnists, who significantly shape the national conversation, draw from a particularly small pool, with 44% attending independent school (compared with 7% of the population) and 33% coming through the independent school to Oxbridge ‘pipeline’ alone (compared with less than 1% of the population who attend Oxbridge). Sutton Trust, Elitist Britain 2019
Just 0.2% of British journalists are Black (compared to 3% of the population) and 0.4% of British journalists are Muslim (compared to nearly 5% of the population). City University, 2016
Husna Mortuza, Deputy Director of Advocacy and Public Engagement, Joseph Rowntree Foundation said:“We are delighted to support ‘A Writing Chance’. This powerful project will bring new voices to the public, and address inclusivity in our media and publishing industries head on.
“Far too often, talented storytellers from working-class backgrounds have found it difficult to break into the industry whether through lack of support, networks or space to develop their craft. This project aims to better understand the many barriers that budding writers from under-represented groups face, and to create opportunities for more non-fiction and creative writers to be part of the industry.
“Hearing a diverse range of voices from across society matters, and both writers and readers will benefit from a widening of the lens. I look forward to reading some new work and fresh perspectives on the year we’ve just lived: Life in 2020-2021.”
Alison Phillips, Editor-in-Chief of the Mirror, said:“At the Mirror we understand the power of having a voice and holding people accountable.
“Ensuring that everyone has access to that power will only make the national conversation that much more interesting and effective. I can’t wait to see the new talent this project uncovers.”
Jason Cowley, Editor of the New Statesman, said:“For too long the world of journalism has favoured a privileged minority. The New Statesman, which thrives on discovering new voices, is delighted to lend its support to this vital scheme to redress the balance.”
A Writing Chance is now open for application until 26 March 2021. A group of ten new and aspiring writers of journalism, fiction and creative non-fiction will be selected for the programme, which includes the opportunity to have work published in the New Statesman or Daily Mirror (in print or online), or broadcast as part of a new podcast series.
