Can regulators stop the march of media consolidation?

One of the most important regulators in Britain, the Competition and Markets Authority, has ruled that 21st Century Fox's proposed takeover of Sky would not be in the public interest as it would give one organisation (and the Murdoch family behind it) too much control over news in the UK.

Of course, there are lots of questions behind such a ruling.  For example, what is the 'in the public interest' and who decides on what that is?  There has also been the suggestion that the Murdoch family would possibly shut down Sky News in order to satisfy the regulator. However, would that just end up reducing the number of different perspectives in the UK news landscape?  Lurking behind all of this is the question of what happens if Disney's proposed takeover of 21st Century Fox itself takes place?

There are lots of articles online about this issue but this one from the BBC is a good place to get started.

The Bad News That Should Help You In The Exam

So it's finally come to pass. I remember how in the months leading up to the death of my dog he stank something awful as his insides began to decay. Such has been the slow and drawn out demise of HMV that it seems such a smell has surrounded it for years. In any case, dog deaths aside, read this article on the BBC News site to explore the reasons for the end of HMV. If you don't mention this in the exam, one of two things will have happened: it will have been a very odd question or you will have been horribly distracted by the graffiti of previous exam candidates.

Make a name for yourself - make a film!

Channel 4 and Cancer Research UK are looking for ideas for short films about smoking and why it's not the best way to pass the time. You're all full of bright ideas so why not give it a go. You may well end up making the film with the support of Channel 4. For more details go to the website - click on the title of this post.