Des Freedman
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Des Freedman is Reader in Communications in the Department of Media and Communications at Goldsmiths, University of London. He is the author of The Politics of Media Policy, co-author of Misunderstanding the Internet and co-editor of several books including The Assault on Universities and Media and Terrorism: Global Perspectives. He is a founder member of the Coordinating Committee for Media Reform and a National Committee member of the Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom.

Blog Entries by Des Freedman

Press Regulation: The Missing Link Is Concentrated Ownership

(7) Comments | Posted 18 March 2013 | (23:23)

The picture of Winston Churchill on the front page of 18 March's Sun exhorting MPs to vote for a 'free press' and to reject proposals for independent press regulation is entirely appropriate: never has so much rubbish been written by so many columnists for so little reward. In...

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Was the Iraq War Worth It? Ask the Public

(57) Comments | Posted 5 February 2013 | (23:00)

There are two major events this week in London marking the tenth anniversary of the biggest demonstration in British history when some two million people marched against the prospect of a war in Iraq.

The first is a The Huffington Post debate at Goldsmiths, University of London...

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Leveson: Does the Sentence Fit the Crime?

(0) Comments | Posted 30 November 2012 | (12:15)

Some 16 months after David Cameron set up a public inquiry to examine the culture, practices and ethics of the press, Lord Justice Leveson has delivered his report. It calls for a new form of independent self-regulation with statutory oversight in order to make sure that the press...

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The BBC: Is This the Corporation's Hacking Crisis?

(11) Comments | Posted 12 November 2012 | (09:17)

It's open season on the BBC and, given its performance over the last month, perhaps that is to be expected. Any news organisation which decides not to run a programme investigating accusations of paedophilia against one of its star presenters just before a Christmas special devoted to him, but then...

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Facebook - The Ultimate 'Old Media' Company?

(0) Comments | Posted 7 June 2012 | (17:50)

HuffPost noted on Tuesday that Facebook stock had lost one-third of its value since the company's Initial Public Offering on 18 May. Using rather understated language, the article claimed that the IPO 'was highly anticipated and was supposed to offer proof that social media is a viable business...

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It's Not Just About Murdoch - The Whole System Needs Fixing

(7) Comments | Posted 8 May 2012 | (00:00)

This week we are likely to see yet more drama and revelations in the saga that is the Leveson Inquiry as the prime minister's former spin doctor Andy Coulson and former Sun editor and horse owner Rebekah Brooks take the stand. You may be starting to tire of the blanket...

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