Tony Benn The Media and the Political Process, Inaugural Benn Lecture, Arnolfini Bristol (2006)

Tony Benn: The Media And The Political Process
Arnolfini NUJ 2006 - Reflecting critically on making the news.
Have you ever wondered what influence the back room boys, the media owners and managers have over the news we read in the paper every day and see on TV every night? How much is biased or spun, and how much did we never get to hear about at all?
The modern media is changing fast. Technological developments such as satellite, WAP and broadband mean that, rather than a handful of channels, we have hundreds of ways to get our news. Media ownership is changing too with the once local ITV stations up for auction in a global marketplace and giant transnational media corporations dominating the market.
The inaugural lecture is given Ex Bristol MP Tony Benn who, after being demobbed from the RAF, began his career as a BBC radio producer in the 1940’s. He entered politics and went on to become Postmaster General and Secretary of State for Industry and then Energy, cabinet posts under Prime Ministers Harold Wilson and James Callaghan.
Produced by Tony Gosling at Bristol NUJ