Looking back at 2013 I think we can be very proud of what has been achieved and I’d like to thank you very much for your continued support which stimulated such positive change.
In July the Prime Minister announced in a landmark speech
that every household in the UK is to have pornography filtered by their
internet provider as a default unless they choose to opt-in to receive it. This is a hugely encouraging development but
we remain convinced that the best approach to ensure these pledges are actually
delivered on is by changing the law. This
is why we are continuing to work in support of Baroness Howe’s Online Safety
Bill (which recently had its second reading with overwhelming support) which
would make this a reality.
Also this summer, as a result of pressure from the public
and organisations including Mediawatch, the Co-op
took the brave decision to no longer stock publications with sexually
provocative covers unless they were supplied in modesty bags by their publishers. The store admitted it would lose money as a
result of the move but it decided to put its customers’ concerns before profit.
2014 will be
landmark year for Mediawatch-UK. It will
be 50 years since Mary Whitehouse issued her call to arms at Birmingham Town
hall in 1964 and we will be marking the occasion with a series of initiatives. As you can see we are adopting a new logo for
our anniversary year which we hope will remind people of our longevity and the
continued support for our campaign.
Beginning on
1st January we will be tweeting a quote from Mary Whitehouse’s
writing every other day. It is ironic
that much of what we know about her views has come to us filtered by the media
itself. This will be an opportunity to hear Mary Whitehouse in her own words
taken from the books she wrote during her lifetime. I think many people will find it quite surprising.
You can
follow the initiative on Twitter - @MrsMWhitehouse and Facebook - www.facebook.com/MrsMaryWhitehouse
and we will also be updating our dedicated website – www.marywhitehouse.com – with the
quotes. If you are not a Twitter or
Facebook user you can subscribe on the website and you’ll receive an email
every time a new quote is added.
We hope that you have a Happy Christmas and a Peaceful New Year.
Vivienne Pattison
Director
Hello,
ReplyDeleteFirstly, congratulations upon your fiftieth anniversary; I have only come across your organisation recently and think you do wonderful and much-needed work.
I am writing really because I have signed up for the automatic email with Mary Whitehouse's quotations, but haven't received any sign of any messages yet. I am just wondering if you might be able to check whether there is a problem or not, please? - perhaps other people are missing out as well?