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Select committee: Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee

Ninth Special Report - The sustainability of local journalism: Government Response to the Committee’s Seventh Report

Published 17 May 2023

Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee Sustainability of local journalism Report on parliament.uk ↗

At a glance

The government's response

This document responds to Seventh Report - Sustainability of local journalism.

This is the government's response, published 17 May 2023.

Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.

The government welcomes the Committee's report and agrees with its overall assessment of journalism's role and the sector's financial challenges, while setting out varied positions on individual recommendations.

  • On a long-term public interest news fund, it "continue[s] to explore options for additional fiscal measures", while "mindful of the current financial climate". Any further funding would build on the Future News Fund model.
  • On statutory notices, it does "not intend to conduct a review" of rules and practices, citing the risk that intervention could harm an "already fragile industry". It is monitoring the sector's Public Notice Portal.
  • On an audit of public money for local news, it says it "would therefore not be appropriate" to analyse expenditure with a view to redistribution. It describes a Cabinet Office pilot with Nub News to test its value as an advertising channel after the local elections.
  • On fair remuneration for smaller publishers, it points to the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill, under which the DMU "could" set conduct requirements, including on "fair and reasonable payment terms". These would vary case by case.

Read the government's response ↗ Report an error

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