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UNIONS and campaigners have branded the Tory scheme to sell off Channel 4 an act “cultural vandalism” as a backlash against the privatisation plans grow.
Announcing plans to privatise Channel 4, Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said that a change of ownership would give it “the tools and freedom to flourish and thrive.”
But NUJ assistant general secretary Seamus Dooley said: “This is a wanton assault on a valued British institution disguised as a gift to the creative industry.
![[Pic: Andrew Wiard]](https://morningstaronline.co.uk/sites/default/files/styles/desktop/public/2026-01/19860406_a_wiard_0001.jpg.webp?itok=d2RMNwWw)
LAURA DAVISON traces how Murdoch’s mass sackings, political deals and legal loopholes shattered collective bargaining 40 years ago – and how persistent NUJ organising, landmark court victories and new employment rights legislation are finally challenging that legacy
Speaking to the Morning Star’s Ceren Sagir, general secretary of the National Union of Journalists LAURA DAVISON outlines the threats to journalism from Palestine to Britain, and the unique challenges confronting the industry through the rise of AI