Billionaires just took even greater control of the UK’s media. Corbyn had the perfect response.

Jeremy Corbyn
Support us and go ad-free

The billionaire media’s opposition to Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn so far in this election has been full on. But now, the Daily Mail‘s owner has bought yet another newspaper, concentrating the country’s media into even fewer hands. And Corbyn wasn’t about to let this go unnoticed, tweeting:

 

Context is everything

An adviser to Conservative leader Boris Johnson recently spoke of “the big newspapers” attacking Labour “full on from the off” in this election. That has meant boosting anti-Corbyn bigots and warhawks. And the BBC has received particular criticism. Academic research, meanwhile, shows newspapers have been pushing a clear anti-Labour position so far.

This is no surprise, though. Because Corbyn’s taking on the ultra-rich to get justice for the general population. And as the Media Reform Coalition’s (MRC) 2019 report highlighted before the latest sale:

just three companies (News UK, Daily Mail Group and Reach) dominate 83% of the national newspaper market (up from 71% in 2015).

Around 80% of online media, meanwhile, sits with “just five companies (News UK, Daily Mail Group, Reach, Guardian and Telegraph)”. And as the MRC stressed:

Concentrated ownership creates conditions in which wealthy individuals and organisations can amass vast political and economic power and distort the media landscape to suit their interests.

British media is broken. That’s why we desperately need independent media.

With billionaire owners dominating, Britain’s media environment is clearly broken. And that’s incredibly dangerous. Because it has the power to shift the balance in the Tories’ favour. The Conservative Party, meanwhile, has received over £50m from around a third of Britain’s billionaires since 2005; and by 2023/24, it will reportedly have gifted these elites “tax breaks and corporate giveaways” to the tune of about £100bn since 2010. It’s also no secret that Rupert Murdoch‘s News UK, the Daily Mail Group, and the Telegraph are all bitterly opposed to Corbyn and his progressive politics.

Fortunately, many voters are fully aware that the mainstream media doesn’t even pretend to treat Corbyn fairly:

With all of this in mind, meanwhile, it’s no surprise that Corbyn believes in the importance of independent media. The Labour leader recently expressed his ‘strong support’ to The Canary, saying:

I absolutely welcome the role of independent media in the election and in our public discourse and our public life.

This is in part because, as he said, independent media outlets “don’t follow the herd instinct of the mainstream media”.

We all have immense power. Let’s use it.

Despite the opposition of the billionaire media and its political allies, Corbyn’s Labour has over 500,000 members and is offering boldsensible policies to empower the majority of the population rather than the extremely wealthy few. Its manifesto also promises major media reform. That’s why the ultra-rich are afraid of Corbyn: because he represents real change. And that’s why our billionaire media is working so hard to stop him. But on 12 December, voters have a real chance to shut that dodgy operation down once and for all.

Featured image via Sophie Brown

We know everyone is suffering under the Tories - but the Canary is a vital weapon in our fight back, and we need your support

The Canary Workers’ Co-op knows life is hard. The Tories are waging a class war against us we’re all having to fight. But like trade unions and community organising, truly independent working-class media is a vital weapon in our armoury.

The Canary doesn’t have the budget of the corporate media. In fact, our income is over 1,000 times less than the Guardian’s. What we do have is a radical agenda that disrupts power and amplifies marginalised communities. But we can only do this with our readers’ support.

So please, help us continue to spread messages of resistance and hope. Even the smallest donation would mean the world to us.

Support us
  • Show Comments
    1. Until seeing a report yesterday I was unaware of the ‘i’ paper’s existence. Later I saw copies displayed on a Tesco store newspaper stand. Perhaps the paper had been on sale before but I missed it. Odd that because I no longer buy newspapers but regularly look at headlines of all displayed on stands I encounter. Front pages are informative over the direction opinion is being manipulated.

    Leave a Reply

    Join the conversation

    Please read our comment moderation policy here.