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The UK is facing a “grim” world of “two tier” journalism, in which access to high-quality information is reserved for the few, with increasing numbers relying solely on dangerously unreliable online sources for their news, according to a new Parliamentary report.
The Lords Communications and Digital Select Committee, in a report on “the future of news” suggest that current trends in the industry such as the worsening economics of mass market journalism, low trust among the public and a growing number of people actively avoiding mainstream reporting is contributing to this malaise.
It states starkly that “There is a realistic possibility of the UK’s news environment fracturing irreparably along social, regional and economic lines within the next 5–10 years. The implications for our society and democracy would be grim.”
It adds, having taken evidence from a wide range of people, including national newspapers and group owners, national broadcasters, academics, think tanks and tech giants on a visit to San Francisco, “The period of having informed citizens with a shared understanding of facts is not inevitable and may not endure.”
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It warns that use of AI tools is about to make matters even worse since it will give more power to the tech giants to create “engaging news summaries giving them unprecedented influence over the type of news we see”.
Baroness Stowell, the Conservative Chair of the committee said: “There is a danger of a two tier news environment developing, where news enthusiasts will have access to excellent content, while a growing proportion of people rely on whatever they can pick up on social media, or switch off altogether. We are especially concerned by news deserts, where local newspapers have folded and people are left without any real scrutiny of local politicians and public bodies.
“More widely, I worry that the general narrative about the future of news is one of managed decline. That needs to change. We need decisive action from the Government, and soon, to put the right legal and competition framework in place. This is key to ensuring that the news industry can adapt and thrive. A good outcome is possible – it will just look different to what we’ve had in the past. And while we can’t predict the future, one thing is very clear: if we fail to adapt quickly, the consequences will be grim.”
Statistics in the report on where people get their news backed up the change in the last five years. BBC’s flagship BBC1 channel saw a decline from 58% to 43% between 2019 and this year, ITV were down from 40% to 30% and Channel Four was down from 17% to 14%. The Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday was down from 18% to 13%, the Guardian and Observer was stable at about 10%. Increasingly people were getting their news from the internet with YouTube going from six per cent to 19%, TikTok from 0% to 11% and Instagram from 13% to 18%. Only Twitter, now X under Elon Musk, showed a slight fall having previously risen from 16% to 17%, it has now fallen back to 15%, lower than in 2019.
The report is highly critical of the remit and role of Ofcom in regulating this.
“We found Ofcom’s media ownership and merger rules poorly suited to this evolving environment. Ofcom has a duty to “maintain a sufficient plurality of providers of television and radio services”, but “its current frameworks focus largely on traditional print and broadcast outlets”.
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It called for this to be extended to main tech giants as they were becoming major news providers.
“Ofcom’s media plurality framework is rapidly becoming outdated, and the previous Government’s years-long timeline for implementing vital changes has been inadequate.”
The report has strong proposals to eliminate the use of legal SLAPPs banning investigative journalists from publishing stories which disclose corruption or protect public figures from scrutiny – it suggests fines up to £250 million instead of the current £25,000 should be imposed on law firms and groups that obstruct journalists investigating cases.
The report is critical of the inaction of the new government.
“The new Government is failing to prioritise anti-SLAPP legislation. This is troubling and has serious potential consequences for press freedom and the future of the news industry. There has already been a public consultation. Viable legislative options and precedents exist. What is missing now is political will. Its absence reflects poorly on the new Government’s values and commitment to justice.”