Royal Commission on the Press, United Kingdom

Three Royal Commissions on the Press were held in the United Kingdom during the 20th century. The first (1947–49) proposed the creation of a General Council of the Press to govern behaviour, promote consumer interests and conduct research into the long-term social and economic impact of the print industry. This led to the setting up of the Press Council in 1953. The second Royal Commission (1961–62) studied the economic and financial factors that affecting the Press whilst the third (1974–77) proposed the development of a written Code of Practice for newspapers.

The first Royal Commission on the Press was established in 1947 "with the object of furthering the free expression of opinion through the Press and the greatest practicable accuracy in the presentation of news, to inquire into the control, management and ownership of the newspaper and periodical Press and the news agencies, including the financial structure and the monopolistic tendencies in control, and to make recommendations thereon."

The Commission was founded amidst public concern that a concentration of ownership was inhibiting free expression, leading to factual inaccuracies and allowing advertisers to influence editorial content. According to the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) such changes had led to ‘a progressive decline in the calibre of editors and in the quality of British journalism’. On 29 October 1946 two NUJ representatives proposed to the House of Commons that the setting up of a Royal Commission would be the most suitable way to investigate.

The decision to launch an enquiry was taken after the House of Commons voted in favour of the NUJ's proposals by 270 votes to 157. The members of the Commission were appointed by Royal Warrant on 14 April 1947 with Sir William David Ross – the Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University of Oxford and fellow of the British Academy – chosen as chairman. The secretary, a civil servant, was chosen as Jean Nunn.

The Royal Commission considered the evidence of 182 witnesses and responses to a series of questionnaires. It held 61 meetings and a further 62 were held by various subcommittees. During this process 106 newspaper proprietors gave oral evidence alongside representatives from 432 newspapers, three news agencies, and the Treasury. This evidence was eventually drawn into a 363 page report (HMSO, Cmd. 7700) and much was published in series of verbatim testimonies released as command papers throughout 1949. These are listed in the Commission's Index to Minutes of Oral Evidence (Cmd. 7690).

...
Wikipedia