Will you sign my petition?

angelboy

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I’ve made a petition – will you sign it?

Click this link to sign the petition:
Petition: Regulate the news media to stop them from creating unnecessary national panic

My petition:

Regulate the news media to stop them from creating unnecessary national panic

Recently, the news media have created several national waves of panic that have been totally unnecessary and they should be held accountable. We've had grocery shortages, construction materials, HGV drivers, and now fuel, even though manufactures and suppliers tell us there are no problems.

The Government needs a dedicated department that regulates the news media and a failure to comply with the regulation should carry massive fines to the news outlet, the editors, and the journalists. It's clear the news media can't regulate themselves and all they tend to do is sensationalise stories to sell more papers, in turn whipping the public into frenzies that are becoming increasingly dangerous to our society and people's lives.


Click this link to sign the petition:
Petition: Regulate the news media to stop them from creating unnecessary national panic
 
Whilst the petrol crisis can be largely blamed on the media, all the other things you list are down to government incompetence. The two main issues being they bought us a ruinous Brexit and they failed to manage the challenges from Covid.
 
This is an interesting diversion.

I do think the mass media is complicit in creating public interest, not reflecting it. But I also believe they have a vital role in exposing corruption and holding any current government to account.

The media should report on the news of the day, but it should also be aware of the power of language and the susceptibility of the public.

Oh, but maybe they already know this via the Brexit campaign/headlines/coverage?

@angelboy - did you try and start a petition then about media regulation? If not, why not?
 
"Regulate the news media to stop them from creating unnecessary national panic"

Now in the hands of an authoritarian government, those powers alone could be abused.

No thanks. I will not be supporting this.
 
I won't be signing it, you are asking for trouble in wanting the government to control what the media should report on. We haven't quite gone as far as living in a dictatorship just yet.

In some respects with these various crises the media is somewhat damned if they report on it and damned if they don't. The media are currently being blamed for causing panic buying etc. but if they hadn't reported on these thing and we saw food / fuel shortages etc. we would be screaming about how we should have been warned about these things.
 
State regulated media?! What do you think this is, Russia?!
Much as I hate some things the media does, it's still part of our rights to freedom of speech.
 
State regulated media?! What do you think this is, Russia?!
Much as I hate some things the media does, it's still part of our rights to freedom of speech.

This ^^^

its-a-no-its-a-no-from-me.gif
 
So if the media can chose to report something that isn’t true, which then has massive knock-on effects, then you guys are OK with this? Wow!

Boggles my mind thinking that this is OK and people support it?!?

There’s a difference in free press they reports the truth with actual evidence and press that just tell lies with spurious evidence, if any, with zero consequence.
 
I won't be signing it, you are asking for trouble in wanting the government to control what the media should report on. We haven't quite gone as far as living in a dictatorship just yet.

In some respects with these various crises the media is somewhat damned if they report on it and damned if they don't. The media are currently being blamed for causing panic buying etc. but if they hadn't reported on these thing and we saw food / fuel shortages etc. we would be screaming about how we should have been warned about these things.


Then hold the Government responsible IF these events actually take place but how do we know they would have taken place? We don’t. What we do know is that the media has made that choice without consulting the Goverment and as a result have created a panic situation that most probably would not have happened.
 
People themselves have created the panic on say fuel shortages, by believing the press over the government.
 
I’ve made a petition – will you sign it?

No, thanks.
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The Government needs a dedicated department that regulates the news media and a failure to comply with the regulation should carry massive fines to the news outlet, the editors, and the journalists.

33d.gif
 
So if the media can chose to report something that isn’t true, which then has massive knock-on effects, then you guys are OK with this? Wow!

No, didn't say I was ok with what they reported in this case. Quite the opposite. But putting overt state controls on the media is a very bad thing, because that power can be abused.
The press do overstep the mark a lot, and it can be hard to get justice when they do. Maybe we make it a bit easier for the average person on the street to take them on in the courts.
 
People themselves have created the panic on say fuel shortages, by believing the press over the government.

Soooooo, if the press didn’t do what they did then there wouldn’t have a been a panic.

Same as all the other panics the press have been responsible for.
 
No, didn't say I was ok with what they reported in this case. Quite the opposite. But putting overt state controls on the media is a very bad thing, because that power can be abused.
The press do overstep the mark a lot, and it can be hard to get justice when they do. Maybe we make it a bit easier for the average person on the street to take them on in the courts.

You’re probably right. The Goverment might not be the best to regulate but there should be a third party regulator. Either way, the press have to be stopped from doing what they keep doing in the name of profits - because, let’s be honest, that’s what it all boils down to.
 
Soooooo, if the press didn’t do what they did then there wouldn’t have a been a panic.

Same as all the other panics the press have been responsible for.
To my knowledge they just reported shortages at some stations. That then got anti-government stirring and then the public are quick to take contingency measures "in case".

Will likely be a none story in couple weeks when all have full tanks of fuel and back to topping up.

Not a reason for government oversight. I do think stars/public should have privacy protection improved.
 
To my knowledge they just reported shortages at some stations. That then got anti-government stirring and then the public are quick to take contingency measures "in case".

Will likely be a none story in couple weeks when all have full tanks of fuel and back to topping up.

Not a reason for government oversight. I do think stars/public should have privacy protection improved.


There was no shortage at any stations. The first report I read said BP ‘might’ have to think about closing one station ‘if’ they couldn’t get their driver shortage sorted.

Why did they even have to report a total non-story other than to sensational it and cause a national panic? The media are entirely to blame for this problem and all the others they’ve caused recently
.
 
Last edited:
There was no shortage at any stations. The first report I read said BP ‘might’ have to think about closing one station ‘if’ they couldn’t get their driver shortage sorted.

Why did they even have to report a total non-story other than to sensational it and cause a national panic? The media are entirely to blame for this problem and all the others they’ve caused recently
.
That seems a strange summary of what happened in my opinion
 
I’ve made a petition – will you sign it?

The Government needs a dedicated department that regulates the news media and a failure to comply with the regulation should carry massive fines to the news outlet, the editors, and the journalists. It's clear the news media can't regulate themselves and all they tend to do is sensationalise stories to sell more papers, in turn whipping the public into frenzies that are becoming increasingly dangerous to our society and people's lives.


Click this link to sign the petition:
Petition: Regulate the news media to stop them from creating unnecessary national panic

Presumably you're not aware that the UK news media (the press and the broadcasters) already have dedicated Government-appointed 'departments' to regulate them.

You've set up a petition to call for something that already exists.
 
So if the media can chose to report something that isn’t true, which then has massive knock-on effects, then you guys are OK with this? Wow!

Boggles my mind thinking that this is OK and people support it?!?

There’s a difference in free press they reports the truth with actual evidence and press that just tell lies with spurious evidence, if any, with zero consequence.
Well, I certainly wouldn’t want a Government controlled or censored media. It’s already largely a propaganda machine for the government and I don’t want them to be given even more power.
Their brainwashing hasn’t worked with me so far. I’ll take my chances and figure out for myself when they’re lying.
 
As a matter of interest why do you think the media propagated this story ?
 
There was no shortage at any stations. The first report I read said BP ‘might’ have to think about closing one station ‘if’ they couldn’t get their driver shortage sorted.

Why did they even have to report a total non-story other than to sensational it and cause a national panic? The media are entirely to blame for this problem and all the others they’ve caused recently
.
The first reports I heard were that BP had closed a number of petrol stations (no number quoted) and that the government urged people not to panic buy.

A government minister telling people not to panic buy was obviously going to have the reverse effect!

Do you want the media to hide the fact that petrol stations have run dry? Do you want the press to not report what government ministers say?

I'll not be signing your petition.
 
The first reports I heard were that BP had closed a number of petrol stations (no number quoted) and that the government urged people not to panic buy.

A government minister telling people not to panic buy was obviously going to have the reverse effect!

Do you want the media to hide the fact that petrol stations have run dry? Do you want the press to not report what government ministers say?

I'll not be signing your petition.
No but dont want the media to add fuel to the fire. They could have had it as news item, and say there been queues at some stations but no they go and find somewhere there a bit of a queue and plaster it all over the news. Then making it top of the news.
Same with food shortages, there really wasn't not any but a few places may have run some item but got blown up which did create people stocking up when there was no need. But showed pictures of shelf empty. Which I seen in plentiful times when delivery's have been late or say the chiller shelfs have had electrical problems.

I'm not saying this is totally the medias fault but they certainly fanned the embers into a bonfire of selfish people being greedy, when if they just filled up normally non of this would have happened.

I dont know if partitioning the government to regulate the media the right thing to do, but I do think it should take a hard look at itself causing misery in their race for viewers and readers. But that's as much chance as asking the public not to panic buy.
 

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