Better Together in Leicester – Rebuilding the Conditions for Public Discussion
Our recent Better Together workshop brought forward a set of concerns that feel immediate, but are in fact part of a longer and deeper pattern […]
Foundational Media
From Price Controls To Media Controls – What Does The BBC Charter Renewal Really Protect?
In much of Eastern Europe during the 1970s and 1980s, governments attempted to make daily life affordable by setting prices for essentials. The stated intention […]
Common Ground, Foundational Media, and the Future of Social Cohesion
Social cohesion is often discussed as though it is something that happens after the “real” work of public services is done. Housing, health, education, policing, […]
When Orthodoxies Fail – Rebuilding Trust in News
Much of the public discussions about the decline of trust in mainstream news focuses on polarisation, misinformation, or changing audience behaviour. The recent Triggernometry podcast […]
BBC Ratings Decline – Problems for Strategy or Sign of the Wrong Metric?
This article argues that Christmas TV ratings cannot be used as a definitive measure of the BBC’s success or failure. Reflecting on the contrast between […]
Media Reform as Civic Renewal
UK media reform is being shaped by Ofcom’s Review of Broadcast Regulation and the BBC Charter Renewal process. This blog frames reform as civic renewal, […]
Foundational Media – Opening a Conversation About the Stories that Hold Everyday Life Together
Given the social and political turmoil reported in our media, one might question if the economic and social model that has held sway for the […]
Public Purpose Media and the Conditions for Social Cohesion
This article examines the findings of Parallel Lives: 25 years on and considers how social cohesion is shaped by psychological, neighbourhood and narrative factors. It […]
Public Service Media, Foundational Economics, and the Question We Must Ask Before BBC Charter Renewal
This blog explores new research arguing that public service media should be recognised as essential national infrastructure, comparable to transport or healthcare. It highlights how […]
What Should Public Service Media Be For? Rethinking the BBC’s Role in an Age of Change
As the BBC’s Charter Review approaches, a new briefing paper, BBC New to Britain: A Public Interest Case for an English-First Integration Service, calls for […]
When a National Broadcaster Starts to Look Like British Leyland
The BBC’s leadership turmoil signals a deeper, systemic failure. This post compares today’s BBC to British Leyland’s decline: centralised control, weak product discipline, factional culture, […]
Navigating the Grey Zone – Citizen Reporting, Influencers, and the Civic Work of Media
How did the Manchester Piccadilly Gardens brawl highlight the grey zone between citizen reporting and influencer livestreams? What responsibilities around consent and dignity apply when […]
Revolution Social – Rethinking Media in the Age of Distributed Communication
This post explores how the Revolution Social podcast, hosted by Evan Henshaw-Plath, reveals the transformation of media in the age of social networks and open […]
Welcoming a Timely Intervention on Local Media – and Setting the Bar Higher
The Challenges and Opportunities for UK Local Media report offers a vital assessment of declining local journalism and fragmented media policy. Its call for coordination […]
Local Radio News – Ofcom’s Missed Opportunity
Do Ofcom’s proposals on local radio news fall short of what is needed to restore trust, accountability, and civic value? In its response Better Media […]