Following its report (which you can download as a pdf here) at the end of last year on the public interest test on the proposed acquisition of British Sky Broadcasting Group by News Corporation, Ofcom has launched a consultation to assess how practical it would be to set limits on media ownership to protect plurality and to recommend a framework for measuring plurality across different media.

Parliament has seen it as important to safeguard plurality because of an organisation’s ability to influence opinions and set the political agenda if it has too much control of the media.  Submissions should be made by 18 November 2011.  Findings from the consultation will be submitted to the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport and given as evidence to the Leveson Inquiry into the culture, practices and ethics of the press.