http://www.cpbf.org.uk Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom News Feed en-us Copyright 2008, CPBF gherman@KeywordsAssociates.com (Gary Herman) webmaster@cpbf.org.uk (Gary Herman) http://www.cpbf.org.uk/images/cpbflogo.gif http://www.cpbf.org.uk 88 31 http://www.cpbf.org.uk/body.php?id=2653 http://www.cpbf.org.uk/body.php?id=2653 DATELINE: 5/2/12 Explicit newspaper pictures censored in inquiry evidence but Leveson warned change would require and#39;rock-solid legislationand#39; When Lord Justice Leveson launched his inquiry into the ethics of the press, he may not have expected to be confronted with an enlarged photograph of near-naked bottoms. Or to be presented with evidence deemed so explicit it was censored before being circulated to other witnesses. http://www.cpbf.org.uk/body.php?id=2652 http://www.cpbf.org.uk/body.php?id=2652 DATELINE: 2/2/12 The official in charge of drawing up plans to regulate lobbying met industry officials four times in the run up to the publication of the Governmentand#39;s controversial consultation paper but refused to meet campaigners calling for reform once, it emerged yesterday (30 January). Eirian Walsh-Atkins stood down as head of constitutional policy at the Cabinet Office on Friday after posting a message on Twitter saying she hoped a group fighting for better regulation of the industry andquot;would dieandquot;. http://www.cpbf.org.uk/body.php?id=2651 http://www.cpbf.org.uk/body.php?id=2651 DATELINE: 2/2/12 Ofcom, the broadcasting regulator, gave an assurance to the Leveson Inquiry (1.2.2012) that it would speed up its investigation into whether it has sufficient power to provide protection against media companies exercising too much political influence. Ed Richards, Ofcomand#39;s chief executive, told Lord Justice Leveson that if given another chance to look again at News Corporationand#39;s aborted bid for total control of BSkyB it would have placed more emphasis on the andquot;risk to the democratic process.andquot; http://www.cpbf.org.uk/body.php?id=2650 http://www.cpbf.org.uk/body.php?id=2650 DATELINE: 31/1/12 Supporters of freedom of information are being urged to mobilise their forces to safeguard the scope of the 2000 Freedom of Information Act. Campaigners fear that a review into the operation of the provisions of the Act andndash; which is being conducted by the House of Commons Justice Select Committee andndash; could be used as an excuse by the coalition government to impose new restrictions and exemptions. The first deadline for responses to the Justice Select Committee is Friday 3 February. But the necessity in the long term is to generate user and public support for the Act and to lobby MPs to vote against any move to limit its scope. http://www.cpbf.org.uk/body.php?id=2649 http://www.cpbf.org.uk/body.php?id=2649 DATELINE: 31/1/12 Lord Hunt told the Leveson Inquiry into press ethics that he had seen state regulation andquot;go very badly wrongandquot;. He had consulted on proposals, and felt andquot;there is a willingness to accept a fresh start and a new bodyandquot;. http://www.cpbf.org.uk/body.php?id=2648 http://www.cpbf.org.uk/body.php?id=2648 DATELINE: 29/1/12 Every year the BBC is forced to hand over tens of millions to Murdochand#39;sBSkyB, under a hugely unfair law unprecedented in any other country. But pressure is mounting on Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt to end thisoutrage. Send him an urgent message to make sure he does - click here to send your own message:http://www.avaaz.org/en/stop_murdochs_bbc_robbery_2/?sbc http://www.cpbf.org.uk/body.php?id=2647 http://www.cpbf.org.uk/body.php?id=2647 DATELINE: 27/1/12 Right now, a new global treaty could encourage corporations to police everything that we do on the Internet. Last week we successfully pushed back the US censorship bills - if we act now, we can get the EU Parliament to bury this new threat to all of us - click below to sign the petition:Join the campaign here: http://www.avaaz.org/en/eu_save_the_internet_spread/?sbc http://www.cpbf.org.uk/body.php?id=2646 http://www.cpbf.org.uk/body.php?id=2646 DATELINE: 25/1/12 The BBC should perform a U-turn on planned cuts to local radio by putting back PST10 million it had planned to axe, Lord Patten said today. The chairman of the BBC Trust said the governing bodyand#39;s decision was made after andquot;real concernsandquot; were raised by the public. In a speech to the Oxford Media Convention, Lord Patten said the corporation does need to make cuts, but he urged it to andquot;look againandquot; at plans for local radio. http://www.cpbf.org.uk/body.php?id=2645 http://www.cpbf.org.uk/body.php?id=2645 DATELINE: 25/1/12 Mark Thompson, the BBCand#39;s director general, spent two and a half hours in front of the Leveson Inquiry on media ethics but to my great disappointment he did not offer an opinion on the governmentand#39;s six-year freeze of the licence fee, by far the greatest restraint on the quality and quantity of BBC journalism. There could hardly have been a clearer example of the chilling effect of government interference and the threat to the plurality of the British news media andndash; two of the key issues which Lord Justice Leveson has been asked to address.