Forwarder: Jonathan Coulter
Seconder:
This AGM notes that:
UD’s Constitution includes the goal to seek "a vibrant, inclusive democracy that puts power in the hands of the people".
UD recently registered as a supporter of a new body, the Better!Coalition, of which one of the objectives is to reform the news media, along with the electoral and taxation system.
other national bodies including the Media Reform Campaign and the Hacked Off Campaign are actively working to reform the news media and the way it is regulated.
UD believes that:
politicians working under pressure sometimes take the path of least resistance and cede power to the few, i.e. major vested interests and lobbies, to the detriment of the many
education for democracy helps put power into the hands of the many, but education alone is no safeguard against decisions being based on inaccurate facts.
abundant examples of misreporting lead us to conclude that there is systematic bias in favour of inaccurate and deficient reporting, in favour of major vested interests and lobbies, to the detriment of the many.
we need a news media that invests more effort in accurately reporting the facts, avoids failing to report important newsworthy material, and can be held to account for its performance.
UD resolves to:
develop its own thinking on reform of the news media.
work with the Better!Coalition and other relevant bodies to develop an agreed national reform platform