How Did New Legislation Contribute To The Demise Of Investigative Reporting?

The dilution of investigative journalism on television during the 1980s and 90s was arguably sparked by the increased competitiveness of the marketplace heralded by the Broadcasting Act 1990. The then Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, was keen to allow more competition and open the door for new entrepreneurs.

The new commercial TV governing body, the ITC, was given a mandate to oversee all ITV company franchises to the highest bidder. It resulted in a nod towards a soft, tabloid style entertainment necessary to attract the audiences and, thus, the advertisers whose money would be essential pay for the franchise. This was detrimental to top class investigative journalism. Around the same time, the BBC was also in financial trouble. It resulted in top chiefs at the BBC unwilling to lend full support to investigations of some subjects.

Deregulation has given media mongrels such as Rupert Murdoch the mandate to extend their empires. Media organisations are now competitive businesses meaning that journalists' investigations are judged by their potential to make profits. Advertisers have a powerful influence on the survival and prosperity of the media industry and, therefore, have a big impact on investigations.