Media Standards Trust

The Media Standards Trust was formed in 2006 to address concerns of a deterioration in journalistic standards at a time when the media were becoming enormously powerful while remaining largely opaque and unaccountable.

Standards in journalism

These changes are seen as a consequence of the revolutionary changes in way in which news is produced, funded, packaged, delivered and consumed, and it has led to less accurate reporting, less substantial sourcing, an escalation in the use of "manufactured news", an increase in self-censorship, a growth of subjective over objective reporting, and a reduction in sustained, in-depth reporting on the ground.

To these ends it hosts debates about standards in the news media, conducts research into areas of concern, and hosts on-line projects, as well as co-sponsoring The Orwell Prize.

Funding

Foundations which have contributed of the Media Standards Trust include Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust, MacArthur Foundation, Nuffield Foundation, Eranda Foundation, Scott Trust.

Individuals who have contributed to the Trust include Christopher Stone, Robert Worcester.

People

The director of the Media Standards Trust is Martin Moore, author of The Origins of Modern Spin - Democratic Government and the Media in Britain, 1945-51 (ISBN 9781403989567).

The Board of Trustees is

• Sir David Bell (Former Chairman, Financial Times Group)
• Julia Middleton (CEO, Common Purpose)
• Sir Cyril Chantler (Chairman, King's Fund)
• Sir Robert Worcester (Founder, MORI)
• Tim Waterstone (Founder of Waterstones bookstores and Daisy & Tom children's department stores)
• Robert Peston (Business Editor, BBC)
• William Davies (Goldsmiths College, London)
• Roger Graef (Films of Record)
• Baroness Helena Kennedy QC
• John McCormick (Scottish Qualifications Authority)
• Stephen George Platten (Bishop of Wakefield)
• Geraint Talfan Davies (Chair, Institute of Welsh Affairs)
• Anthony Salz (Executive Vice Chairman, NM Rothschild)
• Sue Stapely (Quiller Consultants/Sue Stapely Consulting)
• Amelia Fawcett (Vice Chairman, Morgan Stanley)
• Albert Scardino (journalist, editor)
• Sir Philip Otton (retired judge)

Projects

Journalisted.com

In 2007 the MST founded journalisted.com. The site scrapes the news articles from a dozen national outlets, and sorts them according to byline.

Hacked Off

Main article: News International phone hacking scandal

In light of the June 2011 allegations of the News of the World journalists phone hacking into the mobilephone voice mail of murder victim Milly Dowler, on 5 July 2011 in partnership with Professor Brian Cathcart and other concerned individuals, MST formed the 'Hacked Off campaign. Registering the site hackinginquiry.org, the campaign aimed to campaign for a public inquiry into phone hacking. The campaign was directly supported by: Lord Fowler, Professor Onora O’Neill, Francis Wheen, Tom Watson MP, Dr Ben Goldacre, Baroness Helena Kennedy, Sir David Bell, DD Guttenplan, Professor Roy Greenslade, Professor Ian Hargreaves, John Lloyd, Isabel Hilton, Ian Jack, John Pilger, John Prescott, Richard Peppiatt, Andreas Whittam Smith and others. Soon after launch, the campaign gained the support of actor Hugh Grant, who became a public spokesperson, appearing on Question Time and Newsnight.

External links

• Media Standards Trust official website
• Media Standards Trust channel on YouTube
• Journalisted.com
• Hacked Off