What would George Orwell write about today? asked the Guardian. Here’s our nomination: an EU report that recommends giving the EU more powers to sack hacks, regulate the press and dole out subsidies to ‘good’ journalists, a pan-European press and failing newspapers. The report is called ‘A free and pluralistic media to sustain European democracy’. Be very afraid.
Its preamble cites the misconduct of certain British journalists, before the report recommends a set of EU-sanctioned media regulations. All EU countries should have ‘independent media councils’ set up to investigate complaints, it says, and these media councils should police newspapers to make sure they have strict codes of conduct, prominently displayed — also ownership details, all conflicts of interest declared. And so on.
These ‘media councils’ should, say the authors, have ‘real enforcement powers’. They should be able to impose fines, ‘order print and broadcast apologies’ and (most sinister) order the ‘removal of journalistic status’.
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