| answer text |
<p>The government is committed to supporting local and regional newspapers as vital
pillars of communities and local democracy. They play an essential role in holding
power to account, keeping the public informed of local issues and providing reliable,
high-quality information. They also play a key role in democratic engagement - last
year, government-commissioned research into the importance of newspapers to local
communities found that changes in news provision and consumption over time had significant
effects on participation in local elections in England, underlining the vital importance
of a sustainable local news industry to a properly functioning democracy.</p><p>However,
as the independent Cairncross Review into the future of journalism identified, society
is increasingly moving online and local news publishers are facing significant challenges
in transitioning to sustainable digital business models. The government agreed with
the majority of the Review’s recommendations for supporting the sector, and has already
taken steps to implement many of them. Most recently, the government response to the
CMA market study into online platforms and digital advertising accepted the case for
a new pro-competition regime for digital markets. At the heart of this will be a mandatory
code of conduct to govern the relationships between dominant firms and those that
rely on their services, including news publishers. The code will be a significant
intervention in the government’s effort to support the sustainability of the news
publishing industry, helping to rebalance the relationship between publishers and
the online platforms on which they increasingly rely.</p><p>In addition, local newspapers
have benefited from a number of other recent interventions, including the extension
of business rates relief for local newspapers in England for an additional five years;
the investment of £2 million in the Future News Fund; and the zero-rating of VAT on
e-newspapers. During the pandemic, many newspapers have also benefited from a unique
and unprecedented government advertising partnership, designed to deliver important
messages to UK citizens. Newspapers received up to £35 million additional government
advertising revenue as part of the first phase of our coronavirus communications campaign.
The campaign has subsequently been extended with at least 60% funding going to smaller
regional and local titles.</p><p>We will continue to consider all possible options
in the interests of promoting and sustaining high-quality news journalism at a local
level.</p><p> </p>
|
|
