April 3, 2017

The NMA has held urgent meetings with the DCMS Minister Matt Hancock and the chair of the Culture, Media and Sport select committee Damian Collins.

Following its submission to the Committee Inquiry on fake news, the NMA has also written to Sharon White, Ofcom chief executive, Lord Currie, chairman of the Competition and Markets Authority, the Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham, Yvette Cooper, chair of the Home Affairs select committee, and Cabinet Office Minister Ben Gummer.

In its submission, the NMA called for a CMA investigation into the digital advertising market to examine the dominant position of Google and Facebook, the impact they are having on the media landscape and the implications for consumers and advertisers.

Meanwhile, the NMA reports that the Home Secretary Amber Rudd said at the weekend that tech companies must recognise they are publishers and take responsibility for the content they distribute. Their current status as platforms protects them from the legal constraints on news media organisations who are responsible for every word they publish.

Separately, US trade association, the News Media Alliance, has launched a national campaign against fake news called Support Real News, which shines a light on the importance of real news produced by respected, trusted news organisations. To read the NMA’s press release in full, click here.