Dear constituent,

Thank you for contacting me about support for the newspaper industry.

As you know, it was announced in April that UK newspapers would receive up to £35 million in additional government advertising revenue as part of a COVID-19 communications campaign. This is intended to ensure the whole of the UK is aware of the latest guidance and advice.

The economic impact of COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on parts of the already-struggling media industry. It is vital local newspapers are supported and I welcome the funding provided for many national, regional and local titles to replace lost advertising revenue.

However, I share your concern that the support for local newspapers has been concentrated on national titles and national groups, excluding many independent and community newspapers. I agree local independent publishers need support more than the large newspaper groups.

I believe very strongly in the principles of local, investigative and public interest journalism. Local newspapers are more important now than ever, providing invaluable information at the heart of the
communities they serve. I can assure you I will press the Government to provide sustainable long-term funding to support local news outlets during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

In terms of the wider points you raise about press regulation, I fully supported the recommendations of the Leveson Inquiry to establish – by Royal Charter – a new system of independent press regulation. It is therefore regrettable that so many newspapers have rejected the Royal Charter and set up their own regulator, the Independent Press Standards Organisation – which is not truly independent or transparent. By contrast, no national newspapers have signed up to IMPRESS, the first regulator to be granted official recognition under the Royal Charter.

It is also extremely disappointing that in March 2018, the Government confirmed its intention to scrap part two of Leveson. This was reiterated in the Government’s 2019 election manifesto.

I will continue to support the implementation of truly independent and effective press regulation, as promised by part one of Leveson. I also remain committed to pushing for action to address misconduct and the unresolved failures of corporate governance raised by the second stage of the abandoned Leveson Inquiry.

Thank you once again for contacting me about these important issues.

Yours sincerely,

Peter Dowd MP