Ofcom, like many media regulators, suggest that a correlation exists between media ownership and media content. Meaning, that ensuring a diversity of media ownership in some way ensures a diversity of media content. It is a contestable point (particularly when the inevitable follow-on correlation between media content and human behaviour is added), but fair enough.

Is there a regulatory corollary? Does a diversity of management personnel within a regulator contribute to better (more inclusive or representative) regulatory policies? Certainly, Ofcom appears to think this is the case. Look, for example, at the Ofcom Content Board - looks like a pretty diverse bunch. Although as we pointed out almost two years ago - they underrepresent youthful citizen-consumers.

I was talking to a fellow media policy person today, and she shared with me some anecdotal observations about women in management roles in Ofcom. My friend indicated that some senior women were leaving Ofcom (for various reasons), but that one of the reasons supplied was the male-dominated culture at Ofcom. One story was quite colourful. Whilst Ofcom is a new regulator and still finding its way forward, it does seem to me that most policy-related projects are fronted by men. I must confess it had not occurred to me until my friend raised the issue with me, and I am clearly not someone with knowledge of (i) women’s experiences within Ofcom or (ii) diversity issues within UK regulators generally.

So is Ofcom diverse? And, if Ofcom is not diverse, does this affect policy? It is probably wrong to think that people of the same gender, religion or ethnicity think alike, but it is equally problematic to think that a regulator composed mostly of white male leaders will always reach the same policy conclusions as one that is more diverse. We don’t raise this issue to be silly - or to provoke controversy where there is none. But we want to know: Is Ofcom doing all it can do in this area?

Share your thoughts with us: blog@ofcomwatch.co.uk

By the way, our Jerry Maguire mission statement says as much, but by way of reminder: OfcomWatch is an ‘equal opportunities blog’.