Media Standards Trust
Encyclopedia
The Media Standards Trust was formed in 2006 to address concerns of a deterioration in journalistic standards at a time when the media were becoming enormously powerful while remaining largely opaque and unaccountable.
To these ends it hosts debates about standards in the news media, conducts research into areas of concern, and hosts on-line projects, as well as co-sponsoring The Orwell Prize
.
, MacArthur Foundation
, Nuffield Foundation
, Eranda Foundation, Scott Trust
.
Individuals who have contributed to the Trust include Christopher Stone
, Robert Worcester
.
The Board of Trustees is
, providing a portfolio of their work, biographical and contact information for the benefit of the public. The site scrapes the news articles from several national and local publications, and sorts them according to byline
. The database is utilized by the MST for conducting research into matters relating to news coverage, and publishes a weekly newsletter summarizing contemporary trends in news.
journalists phone hacking
into the mobilephone voice mail of murder victim Milly Dowler, on 5 July 2011 in partnership with Professor Brian Cathcart and other concerned individuals, MST formed the Hacked Off campaign. Registering the site hackinginquiry.org, the campaign aimed to campaign for a public inquiry
into phone hacking. The campaign was directly supported by: Lord Fowler, Professor Onora O’Neill, Francis Wheen
, Tom Watson MP, Dr Ben Goldacre
, Baroness Helena Kennedy, Sir David Bell, DD Guttenplan, Professor Roy Greenslade
, Professor Ian Hargreaves
, John Lloyd
, Isabel Hilton
, Ian Jack
, John Pilger
, John Prescott
, Richard Peppiatt, Andreas Whittam Smith
and others. Soon after launch, the campaign gained the support of actor Hugh Grant
, who became a public spokesperson, appearing on Question Time
and Newsnight
.
Standards in journalism
These changes are seen as a consequence of the revolutionary changes in way in which news is produced, funded, packaged, delivered and consumed, and it has led to less accurate reporting, less substantial sourcing, an escalation in the use of "manufactured news", an increase in self-censorship, a growth of subjective over objective reporting, and a reduction in sustained, in-depth reporting on the ground.To these ends it hosts debates about standards in the news media, conducts research into areas of concern, and hosts on-line projects, as well as co-sponsoring The Orwell Prize
Orwell Prize
The Orwell Prize used to be regarded as the pre-eminent British prize for political writing.Three prizes are awarded each year: one for a book, one for journalism and another for blogging...
.
Funding
Foundations which have contributed of the Media Standards Trust include Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, the Joseph Rowntree Charitable TrustJoseph Rowntree Charitable Trust
The Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust is a philanthropic left-of-centre trust that chiefly supports work undertaken in the UK, Ireland and South Africa...
, MacArthur Foundation
MacArthur Foundation
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is one of the largest private foundations in the United States. Based in Chicago but supporting non-profit organizations that work in 60 countries, MacArthur has awarded more than US$4 billion since its inception in 1978...
, Nuffield Foundation
Nuffield Foundation
The Nuffield Foundation is a British charitable trust, established in 1943 by William Morris , the founder of the Morris Motor Company. Lord Nuffield wanted to contribute to improvements in society, including the expansion of education and the alleviation of disadvantage...
, Eranda Foundation, Scott Trust
Scott Trust
The Scott Trust Limited is the British company which owns Guardian Media Group and thus The Guardian, The Observer and Auto Trader as well as various local newspapers, Smooth Radio and other radio stations, and various other media businesses in the UK...
.
Individuals who have contributed to the Trust include Christopher Stone
Christopher Stone
Major Christopher Reynolds Stone, D.S.O., M.C. was the first disc jockey in the United Kingdom.He was educated at Eton College and served in the Royal Fusiliers. In 1906 Stone published a book of Sea songs and ballads and in 1923 he wrote the history of his old regiment...
, Robert Worcester
Robert Worcester
Sir Robert Milton Worcester, KBE, DL is the founder of MORI and a member and contributor to many voluntary organisations. He is a well known figure in British public opinion research and political circles and as a media commentator, especially about voting intentions in British and American...
.
People
The director of the Media Standards Trust is Martin Moore, author of The Origins of Modern Spin - Democratic Government and the Media in Britain, 1945-51 (ISBN 9781403989567).The Board of Trustees is
- Sir David BellDavid Bell (publisher)Sir David Charles Maurice Bell was Director for People at Pearson Group and was Chairman of the Financial Times until the end of 2009. He is married with three children.-Education:Sir David was educated at Worth School...
(Former Chairman, Financial TimesFinancial TimesThe Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
Group) - Julia MiddletonJulia MiddletonJulia Middleton is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Common Purpose UK, a British charity that runs leadership development programmes across the UK.She is a campaigner for the progression of diverse leaders in civil society....
(CEO, Common PurposeCommon purposeThe doctrine of common purpose, common design or joint enterprise is a legal doctrine in some common law jurisdictions which imputes criminal liability on the participants to a criminal enterprise for all that results from that enterprise...
) - Sir Cyril Chantler (Chairman, King's FundKing's FundThe King's Fund is a charitable foundation in England. Founded as the Prince of Wales Hospital Fund for London in 1897, the fund changed its name in 1902 to King Edward's Hospital Fund after the accession to the throne of King Edward VII...
) - Sir Robert WorcesterRobert WorcesterSir Robert Milton Worcester, KBE, DL is the founder of MORI and a member and contributor to many voluntary organisations. He is a well known figure in British public opinion research and political circles and as a media commentator, especially about voting intentions in British and American...
(Founder, MORIMORIIpsos MORI is the second largest market research organisation in the United Kingdom, formed by a merger of Ipsos UK and MORI, two of the Britain's leading survey companies in October 2005...
) - Tim WaterstoneTim WaterstoneTim Waterstone is the founder of the United Kingdom bookselling retail chain Waterstone's. Waterstone's now employs 4,500 staff, is the largest specialist bookseller in Europe, with stores in the UK, Holland, Belgium and Ireland, and is the third largest bookseller in the world.- Early life and...
(Founder of Waterstones bookstores and Daisy & Tom children's department stores) - Robert PestonRobert PestonRobert Peston is a British journalist. Since February 2006, he has been the Business Editor for BBC News. He became known to a wider public with his reporting of the late-2000s financial crisis, especially with his scoop on the Northern Rock crisis.-Early life and education:Peston is the son of...
(Business Editor, BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
) - William Davies (Goldsmiths CollegeGoldsmiths CollegeGoldsmiths, University of London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom which specialises in the arts, humanities and social sciences, and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It was founded in 1891 as Goldsmiths' Technical and Recreative Institute...
, London) - Roger GraefRoger GraefRoger Arthur Graef OBE is a criminologist and film-maker. Born in New York, he moved to Britain in 1962, where he has made ground-breaking documentary films with his ability to gain access to hitherto closed institutions, including Government ministries and court buildings.-Early life:Graef was...
(Films of Record) - Baroness Helena Kennedy QC
- John McCormick (Scottish Qualifications AuthorityScottish Qualifications AuthorityThe Scottish Qualifications Authority is a non-departmental public body responsible for accreditation and awarding. It is partly funded by the Education and Lifelong Learning Directorate of the Scottish Government, employing 750 staff, based in Glasgow and Dalkeith...
) - Stephen George PlattenStephen George PlattenStephen George Platten is the current Bishop of Wakefield in the Church of England. He was consecrated in this role on 19 July 2003 and immediately prior to that was Dean of Norwich from 1995.-Life:His homepage states that he:...
(Bishop of Wakefield) - Geraint Talfan DaviesGeraint Talfan DaviesGeraint Talfan Davies is chairman and one of the co-founders of the Institute of Welsh Affairs, an independent Welsh think-tank. He is also chairman of Welsh National Opera...
(Chair, Institute of Welsh AffairsInstitute of Welsh AffairsThe Institute of Welsh Affairs is an independent, membership-based think-tank based in the capital of Wales, Cardiff, owing no allegiance to any political or economic interest group...
) - Anthony SalzAnthony SalzAnthony Salz, a prominent solicitor, sat on the Board of Governors of the BBC and was Acting Chairman in 2006. Salz assumed the position on 1 August 2004 after the resignation of the former Vice Chairman, Lord Ryder...
(Executive Vice Chairman, NM Rothschild) - Sue Stapely (Quiller Consultants/Sue Stapely Consulting)
- Amelia Fawcett (Vice Chairman, Morgan StanleyMorgan StanleyMorgan Stanley is a global financial services firm headquartered in New York City serving a diversified group of corporations, governments, financial institutions, and individuals. Morgan Stanley also operates in 36 countries around the world, with over 600 offices and a workforce of over 60,000....
) - Albert Scardino (journalist, editor)
- Sir Philip Otton (retired judge)
Journalisted.com
In 2007 the MST founded journalisted.com. The site performs a dual function, serving both as an archive of over four million news articles and a database of several thousand journalistsJournalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, providing a portfolio of their work, biographical and contact information for the benefit of the public. The site scrapes the news articles from several national and local publications, and sorts them according to byline
Byline
The byline on a newspaper or magazine article gives the name, and often the position, of the writer of the article. Bylines are traditionally placed between the headline and the text of the article, although some magazines place bylines at the bottom of the page, to leave more room for graphical...
. The database is utilized by the MST for conducting research into matters relating to news coverage, and publishes a weekly newsletter summarizing contemporary trends in news.
Hacked Off
In light of the June 2011 allegations of the News of the WorldNews of the World
The News of the World was a national red top newspaper published in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the biggest selling English language newspaper in the world, and at closure still had one of the highest English language circulations...
journalists phone hacking
Phone hacking
Phone hacking is a term used to describe the practice of intercepting telephone calls or voicemail messages, often by accessing the voicemail messages of a mobile phone without the consent of the phone's owner...
into the mobilephone voice mail of murder victim Milly Dowler, on 5 July 2011 in partnership with Professor Brian Cathcart and other concerned individuals, MST formed the Hacked Off campaign. Registering the site hackinginquiry.org, the campaign aimed to campaign for a public inquiry
Public inquiry
A Tribunal of Inquiry is an official review of events or actions ordered by a government body in Common Law countries such as the United Kingdom, Ireland or Canada. Such a public inquiry differs from a Royal Commission in that a public inquiry accepts evidence and conducts its hearings in a more...
into phone hacking. The campaign was directly supported by: Lord Fowler, Professor Onora O’Neill, Francis Wheen
Francis Wheen
Francis James Baird Wheen is a British journalist, writer and broadcaster.-Early life and education:Wheen was born into an army family and educated at two independent schools: Copthorne Preparatory School near Crawley, West Sussex and Harrow School in north west London.-Life and career:Running...
, Tom Watson MP, Dr Ben Goldacre
Ben Goldacre
Ben Michael Goldacre born 1974 is a British science writer, doctor and psychiatrist. He is the author of The Guardian newspaper's weekly Bad Science column and a book of the same title, published by Fourth Estate in September 2008....
, Baroness Helena Kennedy, Sir David Bell, DD Guttenplan, Professor Roy Greenslade
Roy Greenslade
Roy Greenslade is Professor of Journalism at City University London and has been a media commentator since 1992, most notably for The Guardian....
, Professor Ian Hargreaves
Ian Hargreaves
Prof Ian Richard Hargreaves is Professor of Journalism at the Centre for Journalism Studies at Cardiff University, Wales, UK...
, John Lloyd
John Lloyd
John Lloyd may refer to:* John Lloyd Co-founder of design consultancy Lloyd Northover* John Lloyd , British tennis player* John Lloyd , former head coach to Wales national rugby union team...
, Isabel Hilton
Isabel Hilton
Isabel Nancy Hilton OBE is a Scottish journalist and broadcaster based in London.-Biography:She was educated at Edinburgh University where she studied Chinese to post-graduate level...
, Ian Jack
Ian Jack
Ian Jack is a Scottish journalist who was the editor of the literary magazine Granta from 1995 to 2007. Granta 98 "The Deep End" was the 48th issue which Jack edited and the last.Jack was educated at Dunfermline High School...
, John Pilger
John Pilger
John Richard Pilger is an Australian journalist and documentary maker, based in London. He has twice won Britain's Journalist of the Year Award, and his documentaries have received academy awards in Britain and the US....
, John Prescott
John Prescott
John Leslie Prescott, Baron Prescott is a British politician who was Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007. Born in Prestatyn, Wales, he represented Hull East as the Labour Member of Parliament from 1970 to 2010...
, Richard Peppiatt, Andreas Whittam Smith
Andreas Whittam Smith
Andreas Whittam Smith CBE is an English financial journalist, who was one of the founders of The Independent newspaper which began publication in October 1986 with Whittam Smith as editor...
and others. Soon after launch, the campaign gained the support of actor Hugh Grant
Hugh Grant
Hugh John Mungo Grant is an English actor and film producer. He has received a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA, and an Honorary César. His films have earned more than $2.4 billion from 25 theatrical releases worldwide. Grant achieved international stardom after appearing in Richard Curtis's...
, who became a public spokesperson, appearing on Question Time
Question Time
Question time in a parliament occurs when members of the parliament ask questions of government ministers , which they are obliged to answer. It usually occurs daily while parliament is sitting, though it can be cancelled in exceptional circumstances...
and Newsnight
Newsnight
Newsnight is a BBC Television current affairs programme noted for its in-depth analysis and often robust cross-examination of senior politicians. Jeremy Paxman has been its main presenter for over two decades....
.
External links
- Media Standards Trust official website
- Media Standards Trust channel on YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
- Journalisted.com
- Hacked Off