Out Of The Dirt

The acquisition of Channel Five by Richard Desmond throws into sharp relief something for which this blog has long argued.

We need to ban any person or other interest from owning or controlling more than one national daily newspaper. To ban any person or other interest from owning or controlling more than one national weekly newspaper. To ban any person or other interest from owning or controlling more than one television station. To re-regionalise ITV under a combination of municipal and mutual ownership. And to apply that same model to Channel Four, but with central government replacing local government, subject to very strict parliamentary scrutiny.

What is the point of Ofcom's fit and proper person test, if Richard Desmond can pass it?