Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Local Journalism

Thursday 23 May 2024 · 5 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 5 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Local media in Orkney and Shetland includes The Orcadian, The Shetland Times, Shetland News, SIBC, BBC Radio Orkney, and BBC Radio Shetland.
  • The Minister acknowledged the importance of local media in building and binding communities, mentioning The Havering Daily, Time FM, and the Romford Recorder.
  • The Minister emphasized the need to protect local media from challenges posed by artificial intelligence and national corporations.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Alistair Carmichael Lib Dem Orkney and Shetland
Culture, Media & Sport
Context

The question arises from concerns about the effectiveness of government support for local media, which is seen as a vital pillar of local democracy.

Question

If she will make an assessment of the effectiveness of Government support for local media. This seems to be an appropriate moment to acknowledge that in Orkney and Shetland we are blessed with some very good-quality local media: The Orcadian, The Shetland Times, Shetland News, SIBC, BBC Radio Orkney and BBC Radio Shetland. For communities such as ours, a strong local media presence is an important bulwark against the relentless centralisation of control, power and government in Edinburgh, which is why we need to protect our media.

Answer from Julia Lopez

I certainly agree, and we have been putting forward that strategy, but it is a very dynamic market. We are now seeing challenges to local reporting from artificial intelligence, and we are considering how we can protect some of these publications, because we agree that they are such an important part of our local democracy.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The question specifically asked for a coherent strategy covering all aspects including advertising, which was not directly addressed.

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Q2 Tan Dhesi Lab Slough
Culture, Media & Sport
Context

Local media outlets like the Slough Observer and BBC Radio Berkshire are crucial for community binding, accountability, and focusing national issues locally. The Cairncross review highlighted serious challenges facing local journalism.

Question

The Slough Observer, the Slough Express, BBC Radio Berkshire, Asian Star Radio and other such local media outlets are the glue that binds and builds our Slough community, holding to account local councillors, MPs and officials, and placing a local focus on national issues. However, the Tories have neglected local news. In 2019 the Cairncross review highlighted the serious challenges facing local journalism, but to date the Government have taken no significant action. Their lack of support, coupled with low wages and job insecurity, is forcing talented journalists out of local news.

Answer from Julia Lopez

Since we are doing some name checks, let me pay tribute to The Havering Daily, Time FM and the Romford Recorder. I think the hon. Gentleman must have missed the Digital Markets Act 2022 and the key recommendation of the Cairncross review, which identified the lack of balance in the relationship between publishers and dominant platforms. We brought that recommendation to the House and it was passed. That was our main effort to protect local journalism, but of course it was not our only effort. We also provided business tax relief for local journalism offices, we support the BBC's local democracy reporting scheme, we have protected public notices income, we are looking at how we use Government advertising spend, and we are speaking to the teams about what else we can do.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The question asked for steps taken specifically to ensure jobs in local journalism are viable. The answer provided general measures of support but did not directly address job viability.

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Q3 Alistair Carmichael Lib Dem Orkney and Shetland
Culture, Media & Sport
Context

Local media such as The Orcadian, The Shetland Times are important bulwarks against centralisation. A coherent strategy covering advertising and other aspects is needed to ensure the strength of these outlets.

Question

This seems to be an appropriate moment to acknowledge that in Orkney and Shetland we are blessed with some very good-quality local media: The Orcadian, The Shetland Times, Shetland News, SIBC, BBC Radio Orkney and BBC Radio Shetland. For communities such as ours, a strong local media presence is an important bulwark against the relentless centralisation of control, power and government in Edinburgh, which is why we need to protect our media.

Answer from Julia Lopez

I certainly agree, and we have been putting forward that strategy, but it is a very dynamic market. We are now seeing challenges to local reporting from artificial intelligence, and we are considering how we can protect some of these publications, because we agree that they are such an important part of our local democracy.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The question asked for a coherent strategy covering advertising and other aspects. The answer acknowledged the importance but did not provide specific details on such a strategy.

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Q4 Kevin Foster Con
Culture, Media & Sport
Context

National corporations buying historic local titles and running them into the ground, refusing to release titles for reuse by locals trying to continue accountability.

Question

The Minister must have guessed that a mention of the Torbay Weekly, which was launched four years ago under its editor Jim Parker, would be coming in this supplementary question. One of the worrying trends we have seen is the way that national corporations will buy a historic local title, turn it into a weekly and run into the ground. Even when such corporations close down a newspaper, they refuse to release the title so that it can perhaps be used by a local group that is trying to put together a multimedia platform to continue local accountability.

Answer from Julia Lopez

There is surely no greater publication in my hon. Friend's constituency than the Torbay Weekly. I should also say that this House has made it clear just how strongly it feels about BBC local radio services in the course of this Parliament, and I hope to see them protected in the next Parliament. He is absolutely right about the challenge of publications being bought up. We want to support some of the microsites, and we are looking at how we can use Government advertising spend to try to help support them.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The question asked for specific steps but the answer was more about protecting local radio services rather than directly addressing the issue of national corporations buying titles.

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Q5 Mark Logan
Culture, Media & Sport
Context

Local radio is seen as an essential tool for democracy and requires legal support. Government advertising spend should be used more to support local platforms.

Question

In the spirit of one-upmanship, I would just like to announce that Mr Speaker does not read the Financial Times or listen to Radio 4. No, he reads the Bolton News and listens to Bolton FM. We were very disappointed at the weekend, because we lost to Oxford United. I spoke to Keith Harris from Bolton FM this morning, and he wants assurances that the Government will do all they can to ensure that local radio is an essential tool for democracy, that it gets the legal support it needs, and that Government, both locally and nationally, can do more to support local platforms.

Answer from Julia Lopez

The Bolton News, Bolton FM and the Chorley Guardian—we could not live without them. My hon. Friend is absolutely right about the importance of local radio. As Media Minister, I fought hard to make sure that we included provisions for local radio in the Media Bill, and I very much hope that it will be passed in the wash-up.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The question asked specifically about assurances but the answer provided was more general support without specific assurances.

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