The Media Show

The Metropolitan Police have issued a statement acknowledging that when they described allegations of historic child abuse and a VIP paedophile ring as 'credible and true', it suggested that they were pre-empting the outcome of their investigation. They say did not mean to give that impression and that they retain an open mind. The investigation has drawn criticism for appearing to rely too heavily on the evidence of one witness and some high profile people have accused the police of conducting a witch hunt. It's not the first time that the police have got into difficulties in the way they communicate with the media. Steve talks to Sean O'Neill, crime editor at the Times about police media relations.The heads of seven Nordic public service broadcasters have warned the UK government not to weaken the BBC. In an open letter, published in the Guardian they argue it is a model for how public service broadcasters should be set up in new democracies and have called for its international role to be taken into account during charter renewal. Steve hears from Cilla Benko, director general of Sweden's national publicly funded radio broadcaster SR, Sweden.Egypt has pardoned Al Jazeera journalists Mohammed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed who were convicted of broadcasting false news. Steve speaks to former Al Jazeera English journalist Sue Turton who was convicted in absentia.Greenpeace has hired a team of investigative journalists. Can investigative journalism by a campaigning group with an agenda ever be truly trusted? Steve hears from former BBC Newsnight and Panorama journalist Meirion Jones who is now a consultant on the project.Producer Dianne McGregor.

Sir Peter Bazalgette, President of the RTS and Chair of the Arts Council England, discusses challenges in the TV industry at the RTS Convention. Topics include UK vs US showrunners, British TV drama in global markets, and the impact of foreign ownership on creativity.

The BBC outlined its vision this week for a more open and more distinctive BBC that would involve working more closely with arts and science institutions and local news services. Steve Hewlett hears from the BBC's Director of Strategy James Purnell about the plans.A year after the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) was set up, a survey for the pressure group Hacked Off found over sixty percent of people lacked confidence in the regulator, which is backed by the majority of the UK's major newspaper publishers. A letter in this week's Guardian signed by eleven people who had taken a complaint to IPSO denounced the regulator as a sham body. Steve speaks to Evan Harris, Joint Executive Director Hacked Off, about its concerns, and to Matt Tee, Chief Executive of IPSO, about the criticisms, and gets his reflections on the last year and what's next for the regulator.The X Factor has been criticised for scouting for contestants with a pre-existing professional pedigree rather than relying solely on genuine walk-in applicants. The show has also come under attack for contestants giving humble back stories, like this week's "I work on a farm", that do not reflect their true previous success in showbiz. So has the well of UK talent dried up? Should the X Factor format be put out of its misery? Is the audience too jaded, too cynical and too small to care anyway? Steve hears from Kevin O'Sullivan, the Sunday Mirror's TV columnist.Producer: Dianne McGregor.

Former News Corp UK CEO Rebekah Brooks returns amid controversy. Debate over BBC's digital news growth. Press freedom issues in Turkey discussed with journalists. Overview of Atvod's role as video on-demand regulator in the UK.

The Edinburgh TV Festival featured insights from James Purnell of the BBC and Ben Frow of Channel 5 on the industry. They discussed the government's stance on the BBC, Channel 5's repositioning efforts, and Spotify's privacy controversy.

Buckingham Palace's plea to media to stop unauthorized images of Prince George; Sir Tom Jones criticizes BBC for abrupt dismissal from The Voice; Archant Group's positive revenue growth challenges print decline narrative

The Sun's editor and a media lawyer discuss celebrity injunctions and their impact on journalism. Pearson sells its stake in the Economist, raising questions. FT journalists seek assurances on editorial independence post-sale. NUJ calls out football clubs for banning journalists from their grounds.

Scottish football columnist Graham Spiers discusses media bans by clubs; Vice's new women's channel 'Broadly' aims to cover women's issues; Jeremy Clarkson, James May, and Richard Hammond to present new show on Amazon Prime.

Nikkei's purchase of Financial Times, ITV's profits despite audience decline, Al Jazeera journalists' retrial, Press regulation challenges discussed with Douglas McCabe and David McNeill. Impact of cultural differences on editorial standards, ITV's financial performance, and implications of Nikkei's acquisition on FT's future direction.

Guest Rona Fairhead, BBC Trust Chair, discusses the future of BBC governance and the license fee deal. Lucy Kung talks about digital news success stories. Ofcom considers separating BT from Openreach due to service complaints.