Culture Secretary looks at adding online news platforms to media plurality rules

The Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has announced she volition look astatine adding online quality platforms and play publications to the existent rules connected media plurality.

Currently, the Secretary of State has the powerfulness to intervene if determination are concerns astir media state and state of look erstwhile determination are media mergers of local, regular and Sunday newspapers arsenic good arsenic broadcasters.

Ms Nandy has begun a consultation into whether play oregon monthly publications – specified arsenic The Economist oregon Prospect – should beryllium added to the legislation.

It besides proposes that UK online providers specified arsenic HuffPost oregon The Independent oregon the website mentation of people publications if being merged, could trigger “public interest” considerations nether the scope of the Enterprise Act 2002.

This follows influential play authorities and civilization mag The Spectator being bought by Sir Paul Marshall, a hedge money magnate and co-owner of GB News.

Ms Nandy said: “Since the media mergers authorities came into unit much than 20 years ago, our laws haven’t kept gait with exertion and evolving quality depletion habits.

“As radical progressively get their quality online, we request a authorities that is future-proof. That’s wherefore I’m proposing further reforms to support the availability of accurate, high-quality quality from a assortment of sources, ensuring media state continues to beryllium upheld.”

There has besides been contention astir the merchantability of Telegraph Media Group aft its buyout by an Abu Dhabi-backed money was blocked by the Government.

RedBird IMI took power of the media concern erstwhile it was enactment connected the marketplace past twelvemonth successful bid to assistance erstwhile owners, the Barclay family, repay dense debts to lenders astatine Lloyds Bank.

The concern money majority-owned by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, vice president of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and proprietor of Manchester City Football Club, has been trying to find a caller buyer.

The projected changes to the Enterprise Act would beryllium made via secondary legislation, and “would not use retrospectively to historical transactions”, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said.

It besides said that the consultation is looking astatine making the merger rules portion of the nationalist involvement and overseas authorities regimes.

The projected changes travel pursuing broadcasting watchdog Ofcom’s review, which recommended the “Secretary of State should broaden the scope of the nationalist involvement considerations beyond people newspapers and broadcasters to seizure a broader scope of quality creators”.

The DCMS said: “We are of the presumption that expanding the scope of the authorities to seizure immoderate entity that creates news, arsenic Ofcom has suggested, could perchance bring into scope a precise ample fig of companies, posing a disproportionate load connected business, arsenic good arsenic connected authorities and regulators, and whitethorn endanger the sustainability of an already struggling media landscape.

“Our projected amendments purpose truthful to guarantee a proportionate attack that reflects the mode successful which quality is consumed successful the modern day, whilst avoiding bringing into scope further entities that are little apt to airs nationalist involvement concerns.”