Media Criticism

Immigration - The Game Changer of British Politics?

Oana Romocea | Posted 13.05.2013 | UK Politics
Oana Romocea

It is baffling how immigration has changed the game in British politics these days. There are more fundamentally important issues facing British society, most notably a stalled economy that has the country on the edge of a triple-dip recession. Yet, the immigration threat, and the supposed ills it has unleashed on Britain, has gripped the public imagination.

Thatcher's Legacy Is a War of Attrition Between Self Interest and Common Good

Steve McKevitt | Posted 11.04.2013 | UK Politics
Steve McKevitt

Thatcher's real legacy is that self-interest has become the driving force, socially and economically, for everyone regardless of whether they are on the left, the right or that irritating bit in the middle.

A Nation Divided by the Death of a Leader Who Divided the Nation

Steve McKevitt | Posted 09.04.2013 | UK Politics
Steve McKevitt

Clearly it's wrong to speak ill of the dead... at least it is if you're operating one of the myriad London-based news channels, which are currently hurling a tsunami of rosy-hued (or is that 'balanced'?) tributes at viewers and readers about the death of the notable former UK prime minister, Margaret Thatcher.

Defending Beauty in the Age of Commodity

Ana Tzarev | Posted 25.04.2013 | UK Entertainment
Ana Tzarev

Amid the sea of splendor that is our past, one cannot help but ask what today's art world offers in response.

To View Art From Both Sides: The Creator and the Critic

Ana Tzarev | Posted 18.04.2013 | UK Entertainment
Ana Tzarev

For all of its magnificent offerings and dazzling opportunities, the art world is capable of such cruelty. One can pour their soul, the very essence of his or her self, into a creation, only to then stand by as it is smashed apart by a single word of opposition.

How the Music Press Ruined Rock

Scott Rowley | Posted 10.04.2013 | UK Entertainment
Scott Rowley

The press chose sides and bands featured in one mag would not be featured in another. Bands were tainted. Crossover between tribes was small. The Manic Street Preachers tried to play both sides of the fence. "We did have a plan," Nicky Wire told me: "We wanted to be in Kerrang! and the NME."

Sadly, Humiliation is an Intrinsic Part of Our Media Culture

Hussein Kesvani | Posted 10.02.2013 | UK Entertainment
Hussein Kesvani

For while the actions of Grieg and Christian were certainly deplorable, they are also far from uncommon in the modern media industry. Nor is the exploitation of humiliation and shame something novel to to the culture of entertainment.

HuffPost UK's Feminism Debate: Addendum

Elizabeth Mizon | Posted 28.01.2013 | UK Lifestyle
Elizabeth Mizon

I have never marched, shouted, or held a placard in the name of feminism, but that's not to say I would rule it out; rather, I prefer to read, write, laugh, discuss and debate in the name of feminism.

The BBC Car Crash Rolls on: Entwistle's Resignation Must Have the Rest of the Media Cackling

Sian Boyle | Posted 11.01.2013 | UK Universities & Education
Sian Boyle

What next for the great British Broadcasting Corporation? I predict that this car crash will play out, more heads will roll and the internal and external torrent of frenzied accusations will inevitably dry to a trickle. But I think it's important to remember that the BBC has produced excellent journalism, and in the scheme of things, a couple of (albeit very) bad decisions on Newsnight don't constitute the abolishment of the programme or of the BBC's entire 90-year-old reputation.

The Leveson Inquiry: Should we Care About Cameron's Response?

Sarah Aston | Posted 09.12.2012 | UK
Sarah Aston

Cameron has publically recognized the failures of the media sector but has been careful to remain ambivalent as to how far he would be willing to go to prevent the media abusing information available to them.

Anders Behring Breivik not Mentally Ill

Charlotte Fantelli | Posted 29.10.2012 | UK Lifestyle
Charlotte Fantelli

I read the news that Anders Behring Brevik has been declared 'sane', with a sense of relief for those who will now see the man punished for the despicable crimes, which he committed with malice and prior forethought. I also had a sense of triumph for those fighting the stigma and misunderstandings surrounding mental illness.

'Loading A Gun At British Newspapers'

The Huffington Post UK | Jessica Elgot | Posted 30.08.2012 | UK

Independent newspaper editor Chris Blackhurst has warned Lord Justice Leveson is "loading a gun" at the newspaper industry - after receiving letters w...

North Korea: Victim of Western Media Conspiracy?

Emily Dyer | Posted 18.09.2012 | UK
Emily Dyer

Despite Watson's claims, it is not 'one-sided', sensationalist or impartial to state the truth - that North Korea is, in fact, 'a rogue, propaganda led state' that enforces absolute control over its people through extreme brutality and fear. That is the reality, and Watson would be better served facing it than creating his own. Guardian readers, the Left, and- most importantly- the North Korean people, deserve far superior journalism than this.

As a Non-Londoner, These Olympics Don't Excite Me At All

Simon Bajkowski | Posted 16.09.2012 | UK Sport
Simon Bajkowski

There are 10 out-of-London venues for the Olympics according to the official website, and Old Trafford, St. James' Park, and Hampden Park help to sell the idea of a 'British' Games. These are all being used for football though - hardly the iconic Olympic sport and so barely inspiring.

The Tale of the 'Manorexic' and the Celebrity

Nick Watts | Posted 01.07.2012 | UK Lifestyle
Nick Watts

We see the classical portrayal of what everyone thinks an anorexic should look like, because they all look the same of course. Your average anorexic will be a young, white female who is in a picture looking suitably emaciated wearing next to nothing. I sink a little inside each time I see this ridiculously stale, outdated idea of an eating disorder reported.

Kissing the Devil's Rump: The Lie of the Amateur Professional

Ian Armer | Posted 05.06.2012 | UK
Ian Armer

Kissing the devil's rump was a required foreplay at the witches Sabbath, in that one must show respect in order to profit. A similar tradition plays ...

Media Mission Across America, Part 4

Maan Al-Majali | Posted 19.05.2012 | UK
Maan Al-Majali

The end of week three has come, signalling the completion to our media literacy trip around the US. For a catch up on preceding aspects of my trip in Washington DC, Los Angeles and St Louis, read my previous blogs if you have time.

Let's Challenge Some of the Lazy Media Myths Propogated by Coverage of the Occupy Movement

Sean Faye | Posted 29.04.2012 | UK
Sean Faye

The most benign of the viewers' emails and texts being read out on Sky News and the BBC during and in the immediate aftermath of the occupation were expressing variations on a belief that the eviction was the appropriate course of action because the protest proved itself inefficacious.

Congo Holds Its Breath, the Media Does Not

Peter Blair | Posted 03.02.2012 | UK
Peter Blair

Regardless of the result in the DRC, placing all parties under the spotlight of the international media before the result may be one of the only ways the international community can help protect the ordinary Congolese people. It might also remind some news producers why they got into the business in the first place.

Noam Chomsky Exclusive: Riots, Financial Disaster and UK Media

Mark Donne | Posted 11.12.2011 | UK
Mark Donne

As we arrive into the autumn of a socially, politically and economically tumultuous year, who better to take the temperature of where we are than Father of Modern Linguistics, geopolitical guru and intellectual/philosophical titan Professor Noam Chomsky?

Can Hugh Grant Rescue the Phone Hacking Scandal?

Josh Oldham | Posted 06.12.2011 | UK Politics
Josh Oldham

Hugh Grant strikes me as a man frustrated. Giving interviews at a fringe event at the Tory party conference this week, he once again continued his eff...