Glasgow Media Group


The Glasgow Media Group, is a group of researchers formed at the University of Glasgow in 1974, which pioneered the analysis of television news in a series of studies. Operating under the GUMG banner, academics like its founders Brian Winston, Greg Philo and John Eldridge have consistently argued that television news is biased in favour of powerful forces in society over issues like Israel/ Palestine, Northern Ireland and refugees.

Impact

In 1982 Really Bad News reached number five on the Glasgow Evening Times best sellers list and other GUMG titles have remained popular on social science courses at universities.
In 1985, BBC Two made an eponymous programme based on War and Peace News as part of their BBC2 Open Space series but before broadcast it removed certain aspects of the programme, including minutes leaked from their own editorial meetings. As a result, the GUMG secured a screen-card reading CENSORED and another suggesting that viewers write and complain to the BBC's Director General. The resulting publicity led to the editor of ITN, David Nicholas, attacking the book and to the Observer describing the GUMG as ‘academic hit men stalking television’s newscasters’.

Publications