Socialist Outlook No 1 May/June 1987
KL: Where the labour movement should be developing a programme to restructure the policy development on the media in today's labour discreet silence, broken only by the valiant JL: How would you sum up the present stage of means of mass communication, there is a efforts of the Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom. movement? AN INTERVIEW WITH KEN LOACH DEBATE
document includes demands for 'the right to geared to an acceptance that the media will always be The Campaign's recent Media Manifesto is an attempt to frame a set of demands which crucial role the media play in a democracy, contact, workers' participation, freedom of , and so on. will 'stimulate public discussion about the JL: These appear to be very defensive demands, and to influence policy-makers'. The fair representation, the right to make the airwaves, the right to reply' in the hands of the present owners.
KL: Yes, it seems to me that these demands are useful only as preliminary to an
their views. For it to be effective, every news longer programme in which the assumptions Again, it in no way affects the problems of should be 'replaced by democratic systems of Socialist Outlook No 1 May/Tune 1987 media. The 'right to reply' is a case in point. Even if it were granted, which is impossible to imagine, it cannot balance or inhibit the 'left-wingers' be allowed to call themselves on which it was based were teased out and agenda setting. Who decides which stories Governors, the IBA, and the Press Council appoint editors and journalists who share 'threatened' would the trade unionists be fundamental stance of those who control allowed to say it was 'promised'? Would A more significant demand is that the newspapers and broadcasting, and who bulletin would have to be followed by a present structures like the BBC Board of examination of the true function of the 'moderate' and 'moderates' be called explained. Every time a strike was should be told and which ignored? 'right-wingers'? programme for the media Making a Ken Loach 32
JL: This year's NUJ conference adopted a composite resolution including a section from my branch calling on the national executive to draw up proposals for the bodies, to include representation from media workers KL: We certainly have to explore new ways democratically accountable to both workers at all levels. Do you think this offers a step in the of organising all of the media. How can we replacement by elected and accountable controlling 'abolition of the present unrepresentative quango make newspapers both independent and established radio and TV channels, and for this bodies of appointed dignitaries which control right direction? lead the viewer or reader to a particular view of an ideology. We need to examine how this analysis: understanding the media as agents prepared the way for those presentations go works and the structures which preserve it. largely unchallenged. The use of language Our first task is to consolidate our basic The ownership and control of the press by questions that are ignored, all combine to broadcasting by government appointees and continuous assumptions that have and images, the choice of subjects, the DEBATE private capital, and the control of have a complementary effect. of the world. capitalist control. But the hard left no plans to combat the ideological and perspective for the ownership, To initiate a more serious level powers exercised by the capitalist class through the mass media can A Labour government which has serious intention of undermining and the Marxist movement, too, developing a serious programme control and development of the be safely assumed to have no of debate, which we want to have a long way yet to go in promote in the pages of this media.
and accountability in broadcasting? How can relate to this accountability? Similarly, what living room, and the consequent passivity of we use the extraordinary technical advances of cable and satellite? Should we try to steer the viewer, towards more public screening? socialist economy, capitalism will have no is the relationship between independence and readers? How does editorial freedom people viewing away from the box in the In a socialist democracy, based on a the ground for each other, even on occasion Broadcasters take their news stories from control: how it works and whose interests it copper. The crude attacks of Murdoch and the press, they feed off each other, prepare Scargill had their more polite but equally playing the parts of the 'good' and 'bad' vicious counterparts in the BBC or ITV. We have to explain this structure of Maxwell on - for example - Arthur with film director KEN LOACH, magazine, JOHN LISTER spoke for TV has encountered repeated whose recent documentary work censorship at the hands of the broadcasting authorities. supposedly 'impartial'
considered in the same light as the police and control? Broadcasting in particular has to be Before that happens, in what terms do we recognise the central part they play in social place in either newspapers or broadcasting. the armed forces, in its defence of the state discuss the reform of the media, if we How do we fill the vacuum? least the right wing of the Labour Party and trade capitalists: it serves all those who find themselves comfortable in the present balance of forces — not JL: Of course it does not simply serve the prevailing ideology to the unfolding events of expropriated? Is it conceivable that the state scrapped? Should newspaper proprietors be regulation'. But here again, questions are begged. Should commercial television by will give up its control of broadcasting? This confusion will remain until we acknowledge that the media relate the
33 problems to be confronted should help us to convene a and the economic system the state is there to the magazine: certainly this outline of some of the key these questions, and discuss how to take them could begin to hammer out some answers to JL: We hope to pursue this debate much further in KL: Yes, perhaps we could each think of together in a round-table discussion that additional people whom we could bring wider discussion. Would you be willing to be KL: Yes, as in other areas, this will bring us into conflict with the leadership of the labour movement, which has had a cosy relationship with the media in the past. The control of the right wing of the Labour Party likes to have it BBC. Ex-Labour ministers George Thomson structures, while in public attack the media appointed a Tory, Charles Hill, to lead the press and broadcasting by right wingers to for being unfair to Labour. The use of the broadcasting by establishment figures has chairmen of the IBA and Channel 4. The both ways: use and support the existing press by big business and the control of never been challenged. Harold Wilson and Edmund Dell are present or past attack the left has a long history. sections - will react angrily when the media JL: Most of the labour movement response has been and ideology is akin to the that of judges and the law: by its constant interpretation, the set The labour movement - or its most active contemporary life. Thus peoples' view of the world is impregnated with the main tenets of which favour the ruling class, but the steady interference rather than to look at these fundamentals. that ideology, and become 'common sense'. present industrial or foreign issues in ways to react against specific witch hunts or outrageous KL: The relationship between the media of ideas and values is developed and Socialist Outlook No 1 May/June 1987
LESBIAN RIGHTS FIGHT FOR IGHTS FIGH\ FOR "Shattered My : ATA Lead My Sor Cy have "VeS" Party (RCP) has been publicised it a certain base of support in the propaganda activities have given The Revolutionary Communist student movement. But, argues thoroughly sectarian and ultra candidates in the Knowlesly BOB PENNINGTON, the 'alternative' of the RCP is recently through standing by-elections. Its strident North and Greenwich left.
Dunist Pary THE GRIP of reformism over the British labour movement, has been a great obstacle ment in this country. Time and again, the far to building a widely-based marxist move- left, frustrated by their struggle against the bureaucracy in both the unions and the Labour Party, have attempted short cuts by the defeat of the miners and the nockism in the Labour Party, the idea of the creating an organisational alternative. Fol- printworkers and the ascendancy of Kin- new, independent party once again carries a certain attraction. lowing
RCP supporters barrack the bigors who we housing. laried professionals in the state sector may hospitals and transport. But working class people who work for the low paying councils, health care, cares nothing for the state of or have to rely on the cut price services they provide, have no such prejudices.' Ob- viously the ideal' RCP militant is the person who is stoically indifferent to the quality of public housing, and is in the realms of political ecstasy when they stand for an hour health authorities and bus and rail networks, and a half in the rain with their fellow This gives them a 'god sent opportunity to explain to the rest of the queue the need for The fact that workers try to defend their social rights and claim that proper health workers waiting for the bus that never comes. care, adequate housing and regular, inex- pensive public transport should rake prece- dence over profit is viewed by the RCP as a divergence from the real struggle. All chose Sovialist Outlook No 1 Nav Tuac 1987 homosexuality from schoolbooks