There is No Such Thing as a Free Press: And we need one more than ever

by Mick Hume

The aim of this book is to a launch a polemic for the freedom of the press against all of the attempts to police, defile and sanitise journalism today. Once the media reported the news. Now it makes it. From the phone-hacking scandal to rows about press regulation, super-injunctions, leaks, libel and privacy laws, the power of the Murdoch empire, and the future of the BBC, the media has become the story. The British press is in crisis and under scrutiny as never before. In the fall-out from the phone-hacking scandal one national newspaper has already been closed down and some would like to see others go the same way. However, this book argues that there is not too much media freedom in Britain today, but too little. There are not too few controls and restrictions on what can legitimately be published and broadcast, but too many - both formal and informal. Some newspapers in Britain and elsewhere might be going 'free' in financial terms, under pressure from declining sales and the new online media. But in almost every way that matters, the press is less free - thanks both to external constraints and the internal corrosion of the foundations of good journalism. This book aims to shake up the one-way 'debate' about the freedom of the media. It will argue that the media's standing has been undermined both from without and within, and put the case for standing up both to the censors and to the conformists in all their guises.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, Society

188 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 22, 2012

Reviews

[Adam · Rating 1 out of 5]

Although it gives some interesting perspectives, this book relies too much on silly sleights of hand to progress its argument, constructs which crumble the moment you stop to think about them. It's also written in an arrogant tone which is wearing - sometimes sneering and often perverse. A pamphlet that got out of control - so very repetitive.

[Teddy Dodger · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are many good books to be written about the nuanced intersection of privacy (the American 4th amendment) and liberty of the press (the American 1st amendment). This is not one of them, instead it just reheats old arguments and cliches I could have found in any Spiked column. A waste of time even if you agree with the author's position.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent defense of press freedom. Every journalist and editor should read this.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a sobering perspective for anyone with a strong opinion about the Leveson Inquiry. Probably the strongest anti-Leveson piece of literature you're likely to find. However, as others have pointed out, logical sleights-of-hand are not in short supply.

Regardless, it's a crucial lesser-known read for anyone looking to broaden their understanding of the 2011 Hacking Scandal and its impact on newspaper journalism.