Media Brief
Post categories: mediabrief
| 11:00 UK time, Wednesday, 24 February 2010
As the 91Èȱ¬'s media correspondent, I cover the personalities, politics and ethics of the media, as well as creative, business, technology and legal issues. This is my summary of what's going on.
A committee of MPs says self-regulation of newspapers has not worked and the Press Complaints Commission should be given new powers to fine publications, or even suspend them from publishing. The select committee on Culture Media & Sport also proposed reform of the libel laws, saying investigative journalism was being deterred by the threat and high cost of defending cases.
The cross-party Culture, Media & Sport Committee accused the publishers of the News of the World of "collective amnesia" and "deliberate obfuscation" over the extent of illegal phone-hacking by its journalists. In its wide-raging report, it said executives of Rupert Murdoch's News International group appeared to have "sought to conceal the truth about what really occurred". News International rejected the claims and accused committee members of innuendo and exaggeration.
The tabloids devote pages to Cheryl Cole's separation from husband Ashley. Other media also give full coverage to the breakup of the X-Factor-football celebrity couple.
Apple has prompted anger among developers of iPhone applications by banning thousands of adult-themed apps.
The Guardian says the Conservatives have boosted the campaign by the England and Wales Cricket Board to block the return of the Ashes to the "crown jewels" list of events protected for free-to-air TV. The Tories said they would not back the move if they won power.
The MPs' report on the press and Cheryl Cole's breakup dominate the newspapers.
