Cairncross Calls For Action On Sustainability Of Journalism On Fourth Anniversary Of Report

Dame Frances Cairncross has said the recent Whitehall reorganisation must foster rather than delay action to progress the government’s sustainability of journalism agenda, including acting quickly to give the Digital Markets Unit statutory powers, and implementing targeted interventions to support local publishers as they transition to a digital future.

In a letter published in The Mail on Sunday today – the fourth anniversary of the publication of Dame Frances’ report into the sustainability of journalism in the UK – Dame Frances has called on government to act on the recommendations she made in her report.  

She said: “Today marks the fourth anniversary of the publication of my report into the sustainability of journalism in the UK. A lot has happened since then: the pandemic and the war in Ukraine have underlined the importance of trusted news. The Commons Select Committee on Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has just drawn particular attention to the fragile state of local news.

“My report in 2019 laid out nine recommendations to support and sustain the news media sector. So far, only one of these has been fully implemented. If we want a future in which journalism can thrive, we need to do much more.

“The reorganisation of the relevant government department must foster, rather than delay action. That could involve bringing forward the legislation to give the Digital Markets Unit the statutory powers it so desperately needs to mitigate the imbalance of power between tech platforms and publishers, along with targeted interventions to support local publishers. Either or both of these would be a good place to start.”