Censorship and the Future of Independent Media - Mike Robinson and Brian Gerrish Interview

07-18-2014 • Next News Network

The popular online newscast "UK Column Live" was recently shut down. After a British government agency censored co-producers Mike Robinson and Brian Gerrish, they decided to deactivate their YouTube channel which carried the show. That government agency is called the Authority for Television on Demand, or ATVOD. It appears to be part of a broad UK news-regulation and censorship agenda that could fall especially heavily on independent media. While ATVOD's regulations have put UK Column Live into a difficult position, a key question is whether media giants like the British Broadcasting Corp. could benefit by having would-be competitors banished thru regulations which the BBC can withstand. Robinson and Gerrish also publish the UK Column newspaper and maintain a related website, UKColumn.org. They are today's guests to explain their predicament and what it may mean for them and other independent media.