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End All Newspaper Regulations

In the wake of the News International scandal, Jonathan Sheppard calls for all newspaper regulations to be abolished.

By Jonathan Sheppard

15 Jul 2011, 17:00

One aspect of the News of the World scandal that has really interested me is the support from some corners for statutory regulation of newspapers, and the suggestion that they shouldn't be able to take a party political line. Is it really being suggested that papers should be lumbered with the same regulations, with regards to political balance, as broadcasters? Surely not!
 
I’m not sure I fully understand what is so wrong with a newspaper having a political bias. Don’t we all have one? Why shouldn’t newspapers?
 
When I’m choosing a newspaper, party political bias is actually a determining factor in which one I eventually choose. Some would say we should go the opposite way and not require broadcasters to be impartial. Well why not? Is it impartiality that people fear, or just the fact that Fox News is right-wing?
 
I understand that there was a need to be impartial when there were only two or three channels broadcast to the majority of the population, but that just isn't the case anymore. Even if you believe the lack of impartiality is bad, surely the internet makes a complete nonsense of the current rules.

A broadcaster has to be impartial, yet Tory Radio, publishing pre-recorded podcasts online, does not. Of course it hasn't got the same influence as a mainstream broadcaster, but what about Youtube? You couldn't have a party political advert during an election in the UK, but anyone can upload political ads to Youtube. Doesn’t this show laws to protect impartiality are already outdated?
 
I don’t know what percentage of people get their news from television, but that percentage has to be much less than it was ten years ago. I suspect the same is true of newspapers. The one source of news that people will be using more and more is the internet. There is no law enforcing political impartiality there, and indeed there is little chance that one could ever be applied with any degree of success.

I for one welcome that.