New Project Offers Swift Resolution Over Complaints Against Unregulated Media
Press Release
October 23, 2023
No Embargo
A British journalist accused of operating a fake news factory has unveiled plans for a news arbitration service to offer a quick resolution in cases where unregulated media are suspected of failing to properly regulate themselves.
Several high-profile news organisations do not accept regulation, and two of those, The Guardian and Buzzfeed UK, decided that there was no case to answer when news agency boss Michael Leidig, who runs Central European News, complained about unfair treatment and cited breaches of the code of conduct from both organisations which they failed to address.
After spending eight years attempting to have these issues dealt with, and with no resolution, The Guardian’s ultimate arbitration body, operated via the Scott Trust which owns The Guardian, decided this month (October 2023) that there was no case to answer.
Leidig said: “They were not interested in any of the proof that we had to support the allegations of eight different breaches of their own code of conduct, and made a decision on only one of those objections.
“They also failed to publish the decision when it was made in May, and instead had quietly buried it. They hastily published the results on their webpage when I queried when I would get a reply earlier this month in October.
“They told me that they had apparently forgotten to let me know and forgotten to publish the results on their webpage as they should have done.”
He added that when he initially complained, The Guardian had offered to consider a letter for publication, but added that this left the original allegations online and they felt it would correct the damage they did.
Now, a new project Leidig plans to build, will create a network of guardians to watch these unregulated guardians who claim to hold the moral high ground and the right to hold others to account.
Notes for journalists and editors
Website: https://mediawatch.report/
Email for queries: mike@cenagency.co.uk
