Polanski Backs Call To Tackle Media Billionaire Capture Of Democracy
Green Leader urged the public to sign the Media Sovereignty Act Campaign petition to trigger a parliamentary debate.
Zack Polanski has called for legislation to tackle media billionaires’ capture of our democracy and urged the public to sign the Media Sovereignty Act Campaign petition.
In a speech at the Green Gathering festival on Saturday, the Green Party Leader publicly endorsed the Media Sovereignty Act Campaign’s petition and became the first UK party leader in history to call for a debate on legislation to tackle media billionaires’ capture of our democracy.
Polanski said,
“Billionaires should not be able to have a monopoly on our free press” and criticised the “billionaire media” six times during a keynote speech about his first year as Green Party leader. He added that we needed a free press for a free country.
Polanski clarified,
“This isn’t about the human being that has one billion pounds. This is about a toxic system that has allowed them to accrue that wealth that once they’ve hoarded all of those assets, they then buy journalists and newspapers, just for clarity … .and then they literally buy democracy.”
The parliamentary petition created by the Media Sovereignty Act Campaign calls for an end to foreign and domestic billionaire ownership of our media, independent regulation of the press, an end to dark money-funded think-tanks and a social media levy to fund independent, co-operative and local British news outlets.
Currently standing at 22,000 signatures, when the petition reaches 100,000 signatures, this will trigger an automatic parliamentary debate.
Polanski’s backing for the petition comes following the release of the Media Sovereignty Act Campaign’s YouGov poll that showed that a massive 7:1 majority of Green Party supporters back a ban on individual billionaires owning outright any single national media outlet.
Donnachadh McCarthy, director of the Media Sovereignty Act Campaign, said,
“When passed, the Act would be the biggest transfer of political power from the billionaire elite to the people, since women’s suffrage over a century ago.”
Caspar Hughes, also director of the Media Sovereignty Act, added,
“In view of the billionaire media’s power to destroy people and politicians, this is a deeply brave act by Polanski. Let’s make sure his bravery is rewarded by getting the petition over the 100,000 signature target, which triggers this historic debate in parliament on ending media billionaireism!”
Notes to Editors
[1] Sign the Parliamentary Petition
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/760061
[2] Exclusive: Huge majority of Brits back an end to foreign billionaire control of our media
https://mediasovereignty.org/exclusive-huge-majority-of…
[3] The act is designed to end the domination of our media by a handful of billionaires and spread ownership more evenly across society. This would end the flood of billionaire propaganda and allow the public to receive a richer and more diverse range of information and opinion, which is essential for a truly free and fair democracy.