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Stop The Presses? Modern Media with Liz Pendleton
28 Plays1 month ago
Liz Pendleton is interviewed by Alex Iszatt. Media, especially digital, is an increasing part of our democratic debate. Liz Pendleton is Director of the Climate Media Coalition and Eco Warriorz, Liz talks about her experiences as an activist and how she sees media shaping the future of our democracies.
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Transcript
Introduction to Democracy and Media
00:00:08
Speaker
Welcome the Observations Podcast. I'm Alex Izat, and this show is going to explore the critical issues shaping our world. Now, today we're diving into the state of democracy and the powerful, often complicated role the media plays in both protecting and undermining it.
00:00:29
Speaker
Joining me is activist Liz Pendleton. Now, over the years, Liz has seen firsthand how the media can both help and hinder the democratic progress.
00:00:41
Speaker
Now, as part of the media revolution, she's working to change the game, pushing for fairness, transparency, and a media landscape that truly reflects democratic values.
00:00:54
Speaker
Welcome, Liz.
Liz Pendleton's Activism Journey
00:00:55
Speaker
Hi, Alex. Fantastic. Well, thank you so much. So let's get straight into it. and So, of course, you know, you have been out on the streets with a actor activism, protesting, but what made you bring the connection between the media, activism and the state of democracy? Was there that specific moment that pushed you into the role that you're doing now? And if you can give us a little explanation of that, that would be great.
00:01:22
Speaker
Yeah, sure. So I was semi aware from a while back and i I was trying to put my finger on it, but it feels too difficult. It's sort of in the eons of history. But I started with Greenpeace marching and when I was about 16.
00:01:37
Speaker
So I won't put a year on that, but it was a good few decades ago. um And then joined Extinction Rebellion in 2019. And what I first what first drew me to them was actually the media coverage of them because it was massive and it was very exciting and it was very vibrant. And the talk of their demands was central to the coverage.
00:01:57
Speaker
So citizens assemblies was the third demand of Extinction Rebellion um and it made so much sense because I'd, like many people, become very tired of the political situation and felt misrepresented or not even represented at all actually um and i and I knew climate issues were not getting taken seriously.
Media's Changing Narrative on Activism
00:02:18
Speaker
so XR burst onto the scene and said, you know, here's a protest that has democracy at its heart. And the media covered that. And that was part of my reason for getting involved.
00:02:29
Speaker
But then as soon as the media really worked out that that was a problem and they worked out how to handle XR, they began their reframing of Extinction Rebellion being eco zealots and hippies and the great unwashed get a job and all of that kind of stuff.
00:02:46
Speaker
So, you know, we noticed that from within the movement very quickly. um and And it was quite effective, if you like, because the media started to turn the tables. So it was it was a quick decision from the media about how to handle XR.
00:03:02
Speaker
um And so Then really over the course of several years of working um on lots of different actions, you you really get a flavour for how the media represent and and climate activism and how they reframe things and how they shift the narrative so that it's um you know taken away from the demands and the point of the protest and always focusing on disruption.
00:03:28
Speaker
So, you know, most people think that ah roadblocks create ah problems for ambulances, for example, but we know that statistically, actually ambulances get through quicker because that's pre-liased with the police. So you have routes for ambulances and and protesters get out of the way for blue lights.
00:03:46
Speaker
But that's never represented. So, you know, you get that first hand experience of that from being on the street and seeing what's actually happening and then reading about it in the news the next day is a heartbreaking difference.
Lack of Coverage for Peaceful Protests
00:03:57
Speaker
So ah then I was involved in um representing the shift of Exile's strategy 2021, 2021.
00:04:08
Speaker
um which was headlines, we quit was the messaging. So if you remember that piece of messaging when it came out saying we quit disruptive action, we quit roadblocks and we prioritise relationship building over roadblocks. And that was part and parcel of the um the large march called the big one, which was 100,000 people in London um marching for citizens assemblies.
00:04:32
Speaker
But you would never have known that that was the case because it wasn't represented. And instead, you know, the media focused on whether Just Stop Oil were going to disrupt the London Marathon, um you know, and i was central to that negotiation with London Marathon, Just Stop Oil and the protest and and seeing that play out in the media was just, you know, it was it was it was dreadful.
00:04:52
Speaker
So from then, um I just had another go at big protest with Restore Nature Now. and then came to the point that I saw that again not being covered in the media and we kind of knew that, it was almost like we had to do a big march to show here's peaceful protest that's being ignored by the media um and that's exactly what happened and now I'm focusing as you said very much centrally on the media itself um and And thinking about that in terms of what can we do to change the media landscape? How do we reframe these narratives and how do we look at not just climate, but actually the wider issues that affect society that are being misrepresented, ignored or othered by the media? And that's the work of Media Revolution and Climate Media Coalition.
00:05:34
Speaker
Well, you rightly point out there that you do get hard with the same brush, especially when it does come down to protests and activism.
Media's Influence on Politics
00:05:42
Speaker
But at the heart of the messaging that you are originally were trying to put out was to make a difference and make that stand for the people that you are representing as well.
00:05:52
Speaker
And so obviously from your take um and your experience and and also trying to move forward, then do you think that like, that the media influences other things. You said that you wanted to be out of just a climate issue. So do you believe that um media influences elections, policy decisions? and do you think people actually underestimate how the media is doing this?
00:06:17
Speaker
Oh, yeah, they they're ah they're everywhere and they're also under your radar because the media are your radar. So, you know, people are looking beyond, they they don't see the media as part of the problem, they just see it as, you know, the the the the voice of the situation, whereas actually the voice of the situation is,
00:06:37
Speaker
creating a culture which affects politics and and affects our democracy because they are the arbiters, they're the filter of what gets covered and what doesn't and how it gets covered.
00:06:48
Speaker
um And we might think traditional media, legacy press, have a lessening influence now because of the rise of technology and and social digital media but actually they still set the narrative because they ah you know if you look at say our state media look at BBC coverage for example that is often what do the papers say so their news coverage comes from ah a very small set of elite billionaires who are controlling the narrative um If we've got um democracy where people are making decisions and are being informed by that narrative, you've got a very you've got a very simple shortcut to bypass your democratic system, which is just to influence people en masse.
Sensationalism vs. Facts in Media
00:07:36
Speaker
you You look at Brexit. um was a perfect example of that. The narratives around how much money was going to be saved, you know, the big bus, the big lie bus. um and And that was what people saw masses of pictures of and full-spread adverts in the press, and that was what was on everyone's lips.
00:07:56
Speaker
You know, the debate wasn't about the nuance and the reality of the situation, it was about big flashy ah figures and headlines So that was what um that's what we ended up with. And and I think if you look now at the narrative that the media are peddling around at net zero, they're actually calling it net zit, which is just, you know, it makes me feel physically sick um because they're again trying to vilify and vilise the work that needs to be done to create a green transition. And a green economy is actually going to be more beneficial in the long run for
00:08:34
Speaker
the people. So, you know, I'm afraid no jobs on a dead planet is a bit of a shorthand, but effectively, we're looking at trillions of dollars of damage caused by climate, um by delaying ah action on climate and and by climate damage, ah whereas we've actually got trillions in and and the economy that could come in if we it sped up the green transition.
Bias in Protest Coverage
00:08:54
Speaker
So, you know, that's the framing that we should be seeing right now, which is a sort of more solutions based. But we're just seeing again and again, people, um I won't name them because I kind of don't want to give there give them any airtime at all, but so politicians and and other bad actors who are just discrediting the net zero green challengeers kind transition.
00:09:15
Speaker
And of course, you know moving away from and climate issues, as as you had said earlier, I think that that people are seeing that once one media station picks up a story, as you said, what do the papers say? But when it comes down to the television news, it very much quickly goes from one channel, all the channels. And then that is the narrative that is constant for the rest of the day, which could be something that people will be influenced by. and we Obviously not denying that media does also help, you if they have a ah strong narrative and they are pushing ah for a story, then we have seen throughout our generations as well that they can help. But it's taking away that um potential local news aspect as well. Those stories that are important aren't always getting heard because of the wider
00:10:03
Speaker
national an issue and that can be a media bias then isn't it because it's a it's a type of potential manipulation either positive or negative really about what gets covered and and what gets framed and obviously when we're coming down to the protests and and civil disobedience as well we're talking about not just climate issues there are obviously other um issues when we had those riots um far-right activism etc etc um so do you think that taking the fact that uh the media chooses when to show protests or how they show activism do you think that the media has shaped how the public sees sees protests whether they are for good or for bad
00:10:49
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely.
Media Literacy and Framing
00:10:50
Speaker
I think, you know, again, most of my experience is rooted in climate so far. And now I'm working across lots of different other groups as well. So um so take, for example, Surge International, who are um looking at ah representing anti-fascism, um anti-genocide and ah and pro-climate action. so across multiple different um issues the way that they that is ignored um helps to and and again for shows the media's choice of wording around those sort of protests is is totally the framing that the culture is is then know downstream downstream of the media's framing of that
00:11:33
Speaker
i' And yeah, you're right, you pulled up pulled me up a little bit there and I think it's worth just saying, media when we when I'm using the phrase media are the problem of of media is this, not the other, I'm talking about a sort of quite quite deliberate niche of, it's not even a small niche, this is the majority of legacy mainstream press and and traditional media.
00:11:55
Speaker
that is basically, again it's not even right wing or left wing, it's top, it's elite, it's the billionaire narrative. um That's not to say that there aren't incredible journalists out there and incredible media ah representation from the independent side, so independent media platforms are incredible, but they are suffering and struggling at the hands of the algorithms of the billionaires.
00:12:18
Speaker
you know So when we think about the coverage that we need to see of the voices that are marginalised and often ignored, there are there's an incredible amount of work going on to to to change that.
00:12:32
Speaker
But we need, as you've mentioned in our sort of conversation before this, that media literacy, we need to help people towards those solutions and towards that understanding.
00:12:42
Speaker
so that they can make those informed decisions and be aware of what is being filtered out what through the traditional media lens.
Digital Platforms and Algorithms
00:12:51
Speaker
yeah, it's a it's a complex picture, but um with sort of staring fascism down, you know, the rise of far-right messaging and and fafc fascism in this country and in the US at the moment is...
00:13:07
Speaker
you know, it's apparent and so obvious that people are scared and don't know what to do about it. And I think it starts with an understanding of where you're getting your, where you're receiving that messaging from, how you start to curate that yourself.
00:13:23
Speaker
We're taking a short break, but don't go anywhere. When we come back, we'll continue our conversation on democracy and the media with my guest, Liz Pendleton.
00:13:34
Speaker
Music
00:13:40
Speaker
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00:14:01
Speaker
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00:14:18
Speaker
It's easier to get yourself in a bubble, isn't it, when the the conversations that you're then looking for. It's interesting, you know, I work, I'm a journalist, and I've worked in a whole bunch of media, and we do get occasionally phone calls when I work in a newsroom, and they ask, why aren't we covering this protest? It's happening now, etc. And I often hear from news editors, we but can't cover everything.
00:14:40
Speaker
and But do you think that that is, in this day and age, when we don't just have TV, we don't just have newspapers, we have a lot of social media, um and ah most of the companies, ah the big companies, the billionaires that you mentioned, yeah they have all of this social media out of their hands. Do you think that that's a good enough excuse in this day and age? Because people...
00:15:01
Speaker
will be citizen journalists, you know, not technically, and to reporters, but they will go out and film it and set for themselves. And that, them in a way, is also changing the narrative. Do you think that by saying, and we just can't cover all of them, is in this day and age a good enough excuse?
00:15:16
Speaker
ah Absolutely not. no um You're right though that we have you know citizen journalists, the rise of technology, and we're all able to report on something instantly and and post that on to whichever our chosen platform might be.
00:15:32
Speaker
um But then we're we're still at the hands of the algorithms. So, you know, when you look at TikTok, for example, it's a hugely stratospheric rise in popularity um and is now throttled massively. um the The algorithms are choosing to hide basically anybody who's talking about certain topics so you the blacklisted words on on that platform and on x now um there is you know really strict um throttling of any topic you you can find yourself thinking even if uh the the mainstream news aren't covering it and oh well that's okay other people will cover it
00:16:15
Speaker
that's not reaching you either because of the throttling of the ah banned words. i'm I'm speaking sort of carefully to to avoid that happening here, which is crazy because I'm kind of used to that. But i'm yeah, that's not it's not enough. you know We need our media to give us the information about what is what people are reacting to and what's what you know strikes and protests are just a and indicators of public opinion.
00:16:44
Speaker
and we need to have access to public opinion um because it's what shapes our world and it's what shapes people's decisions in democracy so yeah it's it's not good enough um and I think that's just saying it's not good enough isn't good enough either because we need to talk about the solution so we need to talk about the fact that um we need more independent press and we need ah platforms that aren't throttling certain types of posts we need to know what those platforms are we need to have access to them And we need to educate people on how to um upload content so that it's found um and for reporters to report on that content as well.
Financial Interests and Media Trust
00:17:24
Speaker
But it comes, let's be honest, it comes down to money, doesn't it it Because it's not it's going to be a case of, you know, well, local local journalists, local reporters, the ones that are trying to push even, you know, within big newsrooms, it it is going to be what is going to bring in us clicks, bring in us audience.
00:17:42
Speaker
How can we manipulate this potentially to get ah lot of interest? And that's, you know, something that I think a lot of people are noticing, which is maybe the reason why people aren't trusting um journalists as much ah as they used to. you we mentioned media literacy as as part of the solution, but...
00:18:02
Speaker
Is that maybe not going to be able to push back as much? You know there is a dominant media out there. I know that you tried to push back. A lot of people have.
00:18:12
Speaker
yeah We see it often, even on X, people aren't using certain um like words and phrases and they're putting like but symbols in there to try and get around it, just to try and get that narrative out.
00:18:23
Speaker
But... What do you believe is a realistic future with media? How are we going to push for that solution, do you think?
Approaches to Media Reform
00:18:35
Speaker
So having focused on this literally from ah just the last few years, and and now I've parked every other project so that I can look at this specifically, um there is a there is a very active, very proactive movement network of organisations looking to solve this problem and answer that question.
00:18:56
Speaker
What I'm seeing is then a disconnect between those solutions. So where we've got some organisations whose preferred solution would be to reform the media, to regulate, regulate you know, to put in place and restrictions and and and controls to make sure that um the media can act accountably and responsibly and and that is a a huge body of work and there's a lot of people, um good organisations doing that work.
00:19:24
Speaker
um But there's also a lot of people and groups and organisations doing work to replace and say no we need we need a different type of media and and this is what that might look like and to reimagine a future that creates, is created and co-created with different media.
00:19:40
Speaker
um Then you've got sort of the resistance camp, who's like, no, we've just got to say no and you know fight the media and call out what the problems are and demand better. And there's actually sort of a diff distance between those camps and almost a bit of a comparison or in not infighting, but a disagreement about which is the right approach.
00:20:02
Speaker
So the work of Media Revolution at the moment, which I'm concentrating on with other media groups, is to see where the crossover exists. So where we look at something like an Extinction Rebellion action, there was um a protest in 2021, I think, might be 2020, which was targeting Broxbourne printing press, which is the main printing press.
00:20:27
Speaker
um output ah in the UK of a lot of the and Murdoch press and a lot of the papers in the UK. So they did a blockade, they put up um bamboo structures in the entranceway so that the delivery vehicles couldn't get the newspapers out.
00:20:42
Speaker
And it was, um I think it was 50 people, of 20 arrests, something like that. And it was an incredibly effective action because their target was to stop the press that day. So stop the press.
00:20:54
Speaker
And what happened was there was empty newspaper shelves in and the stores and the supermarkets. But what was missing in in sort of reflection of that was what's the replacement?
00:21:06
Speaker
You know, what's the alternative to that? So that's the resist camp saying we can stop the press like that. What we need really is to look at what would fill the void that's created if the media, if the billionaire press were not leading the narrative.
00:21:22
Speaker
So, um like I said, instead of looking at, oh, we need regulation versus replacement is to say what's the crossover, you know, um if we resist the press and and say let's not consume their news and this boycott, what are we consuming instead?
00:21:38
Speaker
So Media Revolution seeks it's like a giant Venn diagram with um trying to find the sweet spot in the middle for a coordination of those approaches.
Uniting Movements for Media Change
00:21:46
Speaker
um At the moment we're speaking to lots of of the groups and organisations who are doing that work.
00:21:52
Speaker
And then the critical piece, I think, is from, as you said, I'm climate inspired. My roots are from the climate justice campaign world, but through the work of the big one and others.
00:22:03
Speaker
So I'm seeking to and we're seeking to join the dots of other groups and movements who've been affected by the media and who are constantly affected by the media. So that's, you know, religious groups, gay rights movements, um people of colour. It's every sort of group that you can think that's been othered by the media, even vegans and cyclists. that Actually, the list is really, really long. If you think the media and that we talk about problematic media,
00:22:29
Speaker
Tend to other anyone so that there's an infighting so there's points of difference and we we're all up against each other. So the work is to, i am from from my opinion, and what I'm putting my effort into is trying to join those groups and movements together to to highlight how media is affecting them and how it's a root cause of many of the problems that we see in today's society.
00:22:51
Speaker
and to bring them towards a moment um that is a combined and coordinated approach to awareness and shift to an alternative future with the media.
00:23:03
Speaker
So that's where I'm putting my energy um is worth a shot, I think. um And I think that's what I see in the future is we need a moment of huge
Conclusion: Fair Press and Democracy
00:23:13
Speaker
awareness. We need a coordinated approach.
00:23:15
Speaker
We need to look at what the alternatives are and we need to bring those efforts together, um hopefully on November the fifth but oh well We'll get a link to that ah when once you have ah put it all into practice. and I think you're right. I think they ah it's about being fair and a fair press is something. The reason why you know the press was started was to make sure that politicians don't get away with things, that democracy continues to happen and people are getting the people are getting heard. And if that narrative is not being yeah the focus of the mainstream media, then that is something that's
00:23:51
Speaker
It does need to change. But I think you're right. It's not about just cancelling. It's not about regulation, because that can also lead to problems in the future, especially when it comes to ah ah silencing a lot of ah issues out there.
00:24:06
Speaker
But, you know, I'm going their list because I think, you know, it's fascinating that is you're trying to join those dots and see where we can improve because democracy is so important.
00:24:17
Speaker
And it's about making sure that the people have the right to express themselves and to be heard. And that's definitely what the media should be doing. So we will let, you know, Media Revelation shine. And when you do have ah more information, we will put a link to it.
00:24:36
Speaker
And, you know, let's see where the future holds for all of us, really. Thank you so much, Alex. Thank you so much, Liz. Thanks for joining. So please do join me next time and keep up to date with all the things that are happening with Democracy Volunteers.
00:25:01
Speaker
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00:25:15
Speaker
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