Plurality Focus on News
The particular public policy goals of ensuring that citizens are informed and preventing too much influence in any one pair of hands over the political process are most directly served by concentrating on plurality in news and current affairs. This focus should be kept under review.
- Ofcom publishes annual Media Nations reports which assess the state of UK media including news consumption across platforms, market shares, and media plurality indicators (Ofcom, Media Nations reports).
- The Enterprise Act 2002, section 58, includes media plurality as a public interest consideration in merger decisions, requiring assessment of "a sufficient plurality of views in news media" (Enterprise Act 2002, Section 58, legislation.gov.uk).
- The focus on news and current affairs plurality, as recommended, is reflected in both the Ofcom measurement framework and the statutory merger regime.
How was this evidence gathered?
Response
Accepted
Response
AcceptedThe government accepted recommendations on media plurality. Ofcom developed a measurement framework for media plurality in 2015, publishes regular Media Nations reports, and has a full menu of remedies available for plurality concerns. The Enterprise Act 2002 and Communications Act 2003 provide the legislative basis for intervention on media mergers. Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/david-cameron-statement-in-response-to-the-leveson-inquiry-report
Published Evidence
Published assessments of progress from inspectorates, select committees, official progress reports, and other sources. Source type badge indicates whether each assessment is independent or government self-reported.
Media plurality assessments focus on news and current affairs, as Leveson recommended. Ofcom's media plurality framework and the public interest test in media mergers concentrate on plurality in news provision.
View detailed findings
Plurality focus on news and current affairs is established in regulatory practice.