Minotaur Media Tracking
Minotaur Media Tracking was a right-wing media monitoring group which published a number of reports alleging political bias in the UK media, especially the BBC.
Background
According to Companies House records, Minotaur Media Tracking Ltd was incorporated in July 1999. It does not appear to have operated out of an office since its registered addresses were both London accountants, first Sherman and Partners and then Gerald Edelman, both based in London’s West End.
The company was directed and co-owned by Kathy Gyngell and David Keighley, [1] the widow and close friend respectively of Thatcher’s favourite television executive, the late Bruce Gyngell. [2]
The company’s accounts suggest it remained dormant throughout its period of operation. It filed an application to strike-off on 26 June 2006 and was dissolved on 21 November 2006. The company was superseded by Newswatch (officially Newswatch UK Ltd), which was incorporated on 6 September 2007 and co-owned and directed by David Keighley and a managing consultant called Barclay Thompson. [3]
Output
Minotaur Media Tracking produced a number of reports for the Eurosceptic think-tank Global Britain and for the Centre for Policy Studies. The great majority of these reports alleged a bias in favour of EU integration in the UK media and several alleged a broader bias against right-wing politics. The reports received favourable coverage in the right-wing press, [4] and the Global Britain were followed up with correspondence between the BBC and the Tory peers who founded the think-tank. [5]
Notes
- ↑ Minotaur Media Tracking Ltd, Annual Returns made up to 8 July 2005
- ↑ ‘Former TV-am boss dies’, BBC News Online, 8 September, 2000
- ↑ Companies House, Newswatch UK Ltd Annual Returns, made up to 6 September 2008
- ↑ e.g. Edward Heathcoat Amory, 'How the BBC revealed its pro-Euro bias', Daily Mail, 7 December 2000; p. 7; Andrew Sparrow, 'BBC programmes `heavily biased in favour of EU', Daily Telegraph, 8 December 2000; p.2; Edward Heathcoat Amory, 'This is Europe calling...', The Spectator, 28 April 2001; p.20
- ↑ Copies of reports and correspondences relating to 'BBC Europhile Bias' are posted on Global Britain's website: http://www.globalbritain.org/BBC.asp
