Hello everyone, 

 

I have finally received a response from the government but it wasnt worth the wait. I can't say I'm surprised, because racism within the government is probably just as bad as it is everywhere else, but it saddens me that we won't see any changes within the media, and they will remain free to act as they please.

Free speech isn't the marvellous privilege we think think it is; it's regularly abused and there seems no desire from the government to enforce laws, or penalties for such abuse. Saka and other athletes probably accept this as part of their lives, and it seems that they will just have to continue to do so. 

There shouldn't be no place for racism anywhere, but yet there's a place for it everywhere. We stood up for justice but our stand has been futile.

I don't regret starting this petition, but I'm totally disappointed with the outcome. The immediate attention it gained didn’t last long, the interviews that I was promised never materialised, and it was brushed to the side as though it was a pointless exercise. The delay in the government's response only confirmed that this issue wasn't a priority for them. As far as they are concerned, enough measures are in place and they cant and won't do anything more.

Please see the letter below. I cant add full photos here, so I’ve copied and pasted it in full.

Thank you so much for supporting this cause. We spoke up, but unfortunately we go unheard. Don't let this prevent you from calling out injustices in the future. When something is wrong, pointing it out is the right thing to do. 

 

The media know what they can get away with, so they'll keep doing it. We know we have to fight against the evils of this world, and we'll contine to do that.

 

This brings this petition to an end. It kept me sane after losing everything in a house fire almost a year ago. Your support was amazing. You are champions, even though we didn’t win. (Much like our football team.)

Best wishes to you all. I will forever be grateful that you fought this battle with me.

 

Thank you and Goodbye

 

Juliette Campbell 

 

RESPONSE FROM THE GOVERNMENT 

Dear Peter, 

Thank you for your correspondence of 29 April, on behalf of your constituent, Ms Juliette Campbell of  (my address) regarding press regulation, particularly in its coverage of sport, and also for raising Ms Campbell’s petition about the issue of perceived racism in the media.

There is no place for racism, or discrimination of any kind, in sport, the media or wider society. In sport, the Government expects sports bodies to take robust action to tackle discrimination, and we work closely with national governing bodies and other sport organisations to help them tackle discrimination and increase diversity in the sector.

The UK press is independent from Government and we are clear that having a completely separate, free and fair press is important to ensure the public have access to accurate and trustworthy information from a range of different sources. To protect this independence, Government does not intervene in, or comment on, individual instances of press reporting. However, we are also clear that with this freedom comes responsibility, and newspapers must operate within the bounds of the law.

In this context, an independent self-regulatory regime exists to ensure clear and high standards, and offers individuals a means of redress where these are not met. The majority of traditional publishers are

members of the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). Some publishers have joined the Independent Monitor for the Press (Impress), while others, including the Financial Times and the Guardian, have chosen to stay outside either regulator with their own detailed self-regulatory arrangements. Independent regulators enforce codes of conduct which provide guidelines on a range of areas, including on discrimination on the basis of race. If they find that a newspaper has broken the code of conduct, they can order corrections. IPSO can also order critical adjudications and Impress can levy fines.

Should a member of the public feel that the press has acted unethically, then they should report it to the relevant regulator of which that publication is a member or directly with the publication.

Regarding broadcast media, Ofcom's Broadcasting Code, which protects audiences from harm, includes rules to ensure that material containing hate speech or that is abusive or derogatory should not be included, unless justified by context. All broadcasters are editorially and operationally independent from the Government. It is for broadcasters to decide their editorial approach to ensure they adhere to Ofcom rules and UK law.

If Ms Campbell would like to raise a complaint regarding broadcast TV or radio, she can contact Ofcom here with specific examples of content she is concerned with, so that Ofcom can then consider whether there has been a breach of the Broadcasting Code.

 

Thank you for writing on this matter.

Yours sincerely,

 

Stephanie Peacock MP

Minister for Sport, Media, Civil Society and Youth