NUJ receives political backing over regional press scrutiny

Leading MPs have backed calls from the National Union of Journalists for assurances that a public inquiry into phone hacking, corruption and regulation will cover the regional press.

According to the union, South Yorkshire Times editor Jim Oldfield took the lead in calling for the Leveson media inquiry to also investigate ownership and practices in the regional press.

The NUJ feels the details of which organisations will be included remains vague.

Oldfield has been backed by shadow health secretary John Healey, who wrote to the chair of the culture media and sport select committee after correspondence and conversations with South Yorkshire Newspapers NUJ members.

In his letter he called on them to review "the current state, future prospects, local value and ownership of local and regional media", in light of its inquiry into phone hacking and the wider debates on media ownership.

The union also claims Labour leader Ed Miliband has arranged to meet Oldfield to discuss his call for a regional probe.

Oldfield is currently on an indefinite strike alongside his editorial staff at the Times, in protest against redundancies.

"The broken model of media ownership in the UK has been laid bare by this Murdoch crisis," Michelle Stanistreet, general secretary of the NUJ, said in a release.

"But this is not restricted to the national press – our local and regional newspapers are being brought to their knees by the mismanagement and sheer corporate greed of the big five newspaper groups, including Johnston Press where our members at titles in South Yorkshire are taking indefinite strike action to safeguard jobs and quality journalism.

"Their brave and principled action exemplifies why the Leveson inquiry must take the broadest of views on media ownership – urgent action is needed to tackle the problems of companies which have a stranglehold on our newspapers, squeezing the very life out of them in the process."

In July, the prime minister announced an extension to the public inquiry into the phone-hacking scandal to look at the behaviour of all media organisations and social media platforms.

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