RECESSION REPORTING AND THE BBC

Early day motion 603, tabled 27 January 2009 by John Pugh (Liberal Democrat). Signed by 15 members.

That this House believes that, notwithstanding the very serious problems confronting the British economy, confidence, jobs and livelihoods of real people are affected by the reporting of events by mass media; notes the readiness of the BBC, with its significant global reach to further dramatise, accentuate and underline economic woes; further notes also the public's awareness of this tendency; contrasts this approach with that of local, community-based media; and urges the commissioning of academic research on the influence of media reporting on the fragile psychology of the City and, more importantly, on the real jobs of ordinary people.

Signatures by party: Labour 8, Liberal Democrat 4, DUP 2, Scottish National Party 1.