Lord Puttnam calls for review of foreign media ownership rules

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2013/jan/23/lord-puttnam-review-media-ownership

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Lord Puttnam, the former film producer, has called for a review of foreign media ownership rules which could bar press barons such as Rupert Murdoch or the Barclay brothers from owning newspapers in future.

The Labour peer, a former Channel 4 deputy chairman, wants to see new laws requiring all newspaper owners to be tax residents in the UK, which would automatically disqualify Murdoch, a US citizen, and the Telegraph Media Group owners, Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay, from buying newspapers in the future.

"We are unique in this country whereby foreign nationals can own newspapers," Puttnam told the Oxford Media Convention on Wednesday.

He said the Barclays, who live in Monaco and Brecqhou in the Channel Islands, were "in a difficult position" because of their tax status.

Many in the industry fear a ban on foreign ownership would lead to the closure of newspapers. The Independent would have struggled to survive had the Russian Lebedev family not stepped in when its previous owners, Independent News & Media, decided to sell.

Puttnam said he believed Evgeny Lebedev, who runs the Independent titles in London on behalf of his father Alexander, was a UK tax resident.

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