Media Standards Trust

MST makes ‘FoI’ request for PCC/News of the World correspondence

The Media Standards Trust has today, 7th September, called on the Press Complaints Commission to release its correspondence with the News of the World from its second investigation into allegations of phone-hacking (conducted in 2009), and any corres... more

Media Standards Trust fully supports calls for independent judicial inquiry into phone-hacking allegations

The Media Standards Trust today, Friday 3rd September, gives its full support to calls for a judicial inquiry into the allegations of phone-hacking at the News of the World. Tom Watson MP, a member of the Culture, Media and Sport select committee, ... more

Media Standards Trust welcomes PCC governance review report

The Media Standards Trust (MST) today welcomed the Press Complaints Commission's governance review, calling the recommendations "detailed and intelligent". The review acknowledges the need for reform of the current system and challenges the PCC and ... more

New, improved journalisted.com

Over the Easter weekend we released a new version of journalisted.com. In addition to a smart new design the site now allows journalists to log in to their own profile and add information. If you are on journalisted you can add: - Articles from pu... more

Media Standards Trust proposes major reform of Press Complaints Commission

The MST has today submitted proposals to make the existing system of press self-regulation more effective, more accountable and more transparent while maintaining the key principles of self-regulation. 'Can independent self-regulation keep standard... more

Strong public support for press regulatory reform

This is an updated version of a previous press release There is strong support for the press regulatory system and the way in which the British newspaper industry is regulated according to opinion poll conducted for the Media Standards Trust, conduc... more

2009 Year in Review

During 2009 the Media Standards Trust made considerable progress in promoting a more accountable and transparent news media, and in fostering quality journalism. In February we published ‘A More Accountable Press’ - the first part of our review of p... more

MST welcomes PCC review

The Media Standards Trust welcomes the announcement that the Press Complaints Commission, under its new chair, is to conduct a major review of the PCC’s governance. It is important that the review is independent and is seen to be. The review should ... more

MST starts Why Journalism Matters series

Lionel Barber, the editor of the Financial Times, gave the first in a series of Media Standards Trust talks at the British Academy on Wednesday 15th July. The Media Standards Trust has organised this series in order to focus attention on the critica... more

MST, AP propose news microformat

The Media Standards Trust has today (Friday 10 July) called on news organisations to adopt consistent news formats for online content. The call comes as The Associated Press and the Media Standards Trust launch a new proposed news microformat. The n... more

New improved Journalisted site launched

The Media Standards Trust has launched a *new, improved Journalisted (www.journalisted.com)*. Apart from looking cleaner and more well scrubbed, there are a number of features that ought to make the new site that much more useful: - *Compare journal... more

Correspondence re MST Report

Following publication of the report, 'A More Accountable Press', Sir Christopher Meyer wrote to the Chair of the Independent Press Review Group raising some questions about the report and the process by which it was put together (letter, 19th Februar... more

The Need for Reform: MST publishes report on press self-regulation

‘A More Accountable Press’, published today by the Media Standards Trust finds that the existing system of press self-regulation, as currently constituted, is unable to deal with the serious and growing threats to press standards and press freedom. ... more

Martin Moore on BBC Radio Scotland's News at Ten

Martin Moore appeared on BBC Radio Scotland's News at Ten on Monday, 1st December 2008 to discuss the Damian Green MP case, with Iain Dale and Nick Jones. You can hear the discussion (around ten minutes in) at http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00fs8w... more

Orwell Prize 2009 Launches with Blog Prize and Debate on Failing States

The Orwell Prize is delighted to announce that, in the year George Orwell’s diaries blog came online, we will be inviting submissions for a Special Prize for Political Blogs. The Orwell Prize 2009 opened for submissions for the Book Prize, Journali... more

Orwell Prize to Blog Orwell Diaries

From 9th August 2008, George Orwell's diaries will be published as a blog by the Orwell Prize. The project marks 70 years since the diaries were originally written in 1938. The blog allows you to follow Orwell to Morocco and back to Britain, and Eur... more

Martin Moore on BBC Radio 4's 'Analysis'

Martin Moore, Director of the Media Standards Trust, appeared on BBC Radio 4's 'Analysis' programme last night (Thursday 3rd July 2008). The programme, 'Responsible Journalism?', was presented by Kevin Marsh, former editor of the Today programme an... more

MST calls for PCC review

PCC 'lacks independence from the industry', says today's House of Lords Select Committee Report The Media Standards Trust welcomes the findings of the House of Lords Select Committee on Communications and particularly the criticisms levelled at pres... more

Broadcasting Britishness

Martin Moore, Director of the Media Standards Trust, recently appeared on BBC Radio 4's PM Programme following a conference on 'Broadcasting Britishness'. The event, entitled 'Broadcasting Britishness? Identity, Diversity and the Role of the Nationa... more

MST launches YouTube Channel

The Media Standards Trust has launched a new YouTube Channel to carry recordings of news debates and events. You can now listen to the PR vs Journalism debate, 'The growth of PR is threatening the integrity of the press', with Nick Davies, Roy Green... more

Media Standards Trust & WSRI win Knight Foundation Award

We are very pleased to report that the Media Standards Trust and the Web Science Research Initiative have just won a Knight Foundation Award for their transparency initiative. The awards - for $350,000 - will go towards the development of tools to e... more

Journalisted adds FT, Scotsman & Scotland on Sunday

We've just added the Financial Times, the Scotsman and Scotland on Sunday to www.journalisted.com. You can now look up journalists published on the websites of these three papers. Martin Wolf, Lucy Kellaway, Gideon Rachman, Philip Stevens are amongs... more

Journa-list's name has changed

From now on it is called 'journalisted' (and can be found at www.journalisted.com). Naming websites is both an art and a science. It's all very well coming up with a snappy name (like journa-list) until you find out that Google does not recognise h... more

Shiny New Website

We have just launched the new Media Standards Trust website. The new site has all the resources provided by the old one – the access to media research, the news about news feeds, the links, the director’s blog. But it also focuses more on the four ke... more

Media Standards Trust 2007 Debates

In the last 6 months the MST has hosted 30 public debates, on news coverage of subjects including: the McCanns, Burma, climate change, MMR, Meredith Kercher, Northern Rock, Islam, Lord Browne, political spin and gang violence. Kevin Marsh (Director... more

Media Standards Trust launches Orwell Prize website

www.theorwellprize.co.uk has just gone live. The Media Standards Trust developed the site in association with Simplicty IT and Beaucroft design. As well as explaining what the prize is and how to enter, the site has exclusive photographs of George O... more

Media Standards Trust to partner with Orwell Prize

We are delighted to announce that the Media Standards Trust is to partner with the Orwell Trust and Political Quarterly to run the Orwell Prize for political writing. The Orwell Prize is the pre-eminent British prize for political writing. Its ambit... more

MST joint event: Is the media having a "seriously adverse" impact on public life?

The Media Standards Trust and Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism are holding a joint panel discussion about the impact of the media on public life. In a speech organised by the Reuters Institute in June, Tony Blair said: "At points, it [... more

News Blogs now on Journa-list.com

National news blogs have now been added to www.journa-list.com - the Media Standards Trust website that allows you to search for news by journalist and by subject. You can now read Adam Boulton blogging on Sky News, Roy Greenslade at the Guardian, o... more

Media Standards Trust giving evidence to Select Committee on Communications

The Media Standards Trust will this week give evidence to the House of Lords Select Committee on Communications. The Committee is inquiring into the effect of ownership and ownership structures on news. The specific questions the Committee is revie... more

Journa-list goes live in beta

The beta version of journa-list has now gone live at www.journa-list.com. Journa-list is the first Media Standards Trust internet initiative (after this website). It is an independent, not-for-profit site that makes it easier for people to find out ... more

MST news initiative receives major grant from MacArthur Foundation

The MacArthur Foundation – famed for its ‘genius grants’ – has just awarded a grant of $350,000 to the Media Standards Trust and the Web Science Research Initiative to develop their plans for authenticating news on the web. The plans are based on an... more

Media Standards Trust is recruiting

The Media Standards Trust is looking for a Research Journalist / Website Editor. This is a unique opportunity for the successful applicant to be intimately involved in setting up a groundbreaking new organisation. He/she will research media coverage,... more

TV: fading to a dot?

Martin Moore's article about TV, Edinburgh, the MacTaggart lecture and existential angst, published on The Guardian's Comment is Free... 'I was reminded of Sartre's existential angst by Jeremy Paxman's MacTaggart lecture at the Edinburgh Television ... more

Media Standards Trust supports Paxman's Edinburgh statement

Media Standards Trust applauds and supports Jeremy Paxman's MacTaggart Lecture at the Edinburgh Television Festival. 'Never mind the scandals, what's it all for?' was a compelling plea for the television industry "to rediscover a sense of purpose". ... more

Google to launch a US Right-to-Reply service

The Media Standards Trust welcomes the news that Google is to launch a right-to-reply service, and hopes it will lead UK news organisations to recognise the value of right to reply and do the same. Google has just announced that this week it will la... more

New Board Member

We are pleased to announce that Anthony Salz has agreed to join the Board of the Media Standards Trust. Described as having ‘one of the finest legal brains in Britain’ Salz spent much of his career as senior partner at Freshfields, transforming the ... more

Web Update: Changes to the Media Standards Trust website

Going against the new media grain we will, as of tomorrow, be requesting not only real names for comments, but also occupation and organisation (although both optional not compulsory). Our hope is not that this will deter people from commenting but ... more

PCC Code Change - Response

The Media Standards Trust supports the strengthening of Clause 10 of the Editorial Code but believes the amendment regarding user-generated content and non-edited material is unrealistic and illustrates a growing challenge to self-regulation The Edi... more

PRESS: Independent interview with Sir Robert Worcester about Media Standards Trust

Ian Burrell interviews Sir Robert Worcester in the Independent about the state of the news media and why we need the Media Standards Trust. Sir Robert talks about how, though he 'loves the media... he and a group of eminent colleagues in the industr... more

EVENT: Roger Graef to give James Cameron lecture

Roger Graef, a trustee of the Media Standards Trust, will give the James Cameron Award and Memorial Lecture on "Public Service Broadcasting in the Digital Age" on Thursday 21st June. The lecture will follow the award of the James Cameron prize for f... more

ARTICLE: 'Public Interest, Media Neglect' by Martin Moore

Read, 'Public Interest, Media Neglect' in the British Journalism Review. In the article Martin Moore, Director of the Media Standards Trust, argues that public interest journalism is 'in mortal danger'. It is, he writes, under threat from 4 directi... more

PRESS RELEASE: Media Standards Trust website launch

Press statement Monday 21st May 2007: Timely new organisation launched to tackle news standards. A campaigning think tank has been launched to foster high standards in our news media. The Media Standards Trust (www.mediastandardstrust.org) will ta... more

REPORT: PCC Report on Subterfuge and Newsgathering

The PCC's report on subterfuge and newsgathering rightly condemns the actions of Mulcaire and Goodman of the News of the World. It describes its investigation into the affair since the pair's prosecution, and the measures it has taken to prevent such... more

EVENT: The Orwell Prize

This year’s Orwell Prize, held last Tuesday night at the Frontline Club, reeked of the welcome stench of real reporting – a celebration of journalists and writers who work “from the ground up”, in Martha Gellhorn’s famous phrase. George Orwell would ... more

REPORT - PCC Releases 2006 Annual Review

The PCC's annual report - 50% bigger than 2005's - contains a robust defence of the organisation's actions in the face of sharp criticism. Despite privacy complaints rising the PCC says it has taken even more action this year than it has in the past... more

SPEECH: BBC Director General calls for 'disputatious.. unsettling and unflinching' media

Mark Thompson's speech about media in the age of moral ambiguity at Coventry Cathedral on Tuesday 17th April. Thompson explored the question of whether "we can reasonably look to broadcasting and other media to be a force for good in the world, promo... more

TALK: Charles Clarke, New Labour & the Media, Ten Years On

Charles Clarke's revealing talk about the impact of the media on politics over the last decade, and the impact of politics on the media. Clarke has not been a big fan of the media in the past. In office Clarke became progressively disenchanted with ... more

NEWS - Media Standards Trust website launch

This is the website of the Media Standards Trust, a public space – independent of government, commercial interests and news media – where people can respond, react, review and reflect on the news. Each week we will ask topical questions about the ne... more

EVENTS - (PR)ide and Prejudice in the 4th Estate

Martin Moore, Director of the Media Standards Trust, debates the relationship of public relations with journalism at the Cass Business School on Wednesday 21st March at 18:30. The debate, chaired by Professor Adrian Monck from City University, exami... more

SPEECH - Lord Falconer on Freedom of Information

"Openness is not an absolute good in itself", Lord Falconer said in the Mostyn Memorial Lecture on 21st March. "Openness is good where openness is of benefit, crucially of benefit to the public [that] governments are here to serve". The Lord Chancel... more

Media Standards Trust proposes major reform of Press Complaints Commission

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