September 24, 2018

Responding to the Cairncross Review’s call for evidence on the sustainability of high-quality journalism in the UK, the Society said that the focus of any package of measures to ensure the longevity of an independent and thriving media must ensure that a plurality of voices continue to be heard.

The Society also said that further discussion was needed as to whether any funding for an independent media came from the public purse or the direction of levies set against social media giants. “Such funding may well bring with it scrutiny that will undermine the very independence of the press we are seeking always to preserve”, the Society said.

The Society said that a “more constructive and long-term solution to funding issues” might be to tackle at source the effect digital media giants are having on the industry “by creating a more level playing field in the way news and information content gathering is rewarded”. Perhaps news organisations that create the content that the digital companies then use and rely on should be better compensated, it suggested. In other words, perhaps the licensing of content created by newspapers, but then used elsewhere in the digital world, should be considered.

While the Society recognised that the issues are not easy to tackle, the survival of a thriving independent media landscape that continues to serve at a national and grassroots level is essential in a liberal democracy, it said.

The Society also warned that the media should remain free and that any attempt to restrict what newspapers should and should not publish must take into account the existence of social media platforms and the public’s appetite for seeking out information.

The Society believes that the focus of any package of measures to ensure a truly independent and thriving media landscape exists into the future should be careful to consider the need for many voices to continue to be heard. No single opinion is correct, it said. It is the plurality of the United Kingdom’s media landscape that ensures it is vibrant and inclusive. To read the Society’s response in full, click here.