Key Definitions

News Values – a criteria that influences what is published in the news

Gatekeepers – are parts of the media structure, reporters deciding what sources are used for a story to editors deciding which stories make the cut, and includes media outlet owners and even advertisers.

Regulation – a rule that is maintained by an authority

Deregulation – the reduction or elimination of government power in an industry, usually used to create more competition in an industry.

Free Market – when governments have little or no control so businesses can produce goods/services based on demand.

Monopolies – when one business controls the supply in an industry

Mergers – when to businesses join to form one in order to achieve higher market control, better productivity and better economies of scale.

Media Concentration – a process where less businesses control increasing shares of the mass media

Conglomerates – a company that owns multiple companies involved in mass media enterprises

Globalisation (in terms of media ownership) – when businesses grow large enough to operate on an international or global scale

Vertical Integration – when one company owns multiple firms that can complete two or more stages of production

Horizontal Integration – when a company increase production at the same stage of production

Neo-Liberalism – the phrase given to polices that are used to reduce government control in a market

Alt-Right – an ideological grouping associated with extreme conservative or reactionary viewpoints, characterized by a rejection of mainstream politics and by the use of online media to disseminate deliberately controversial content. (definition for google)

Surveillance – close observation, typically of a suspected spy or criminal

Privacy – when you aren’t watched by others

Security – being free from danger or threat

GDPR – general data protection regulation – is a legal framework that sets guidelines for the collection and processing of personal information from individuals who live in the European Union 

The Leveson Enquiry – was a judicial public inquiry into the culture, practices and ethics of the British press following the News International phone hacking scandal, chaired by Lord Justice Leveson, who was appointed in July 2011

The Cairncross Review – was a sustainable future for high-quality journalism made nine proposals to save the news industry. The nine proposals are:

1) Online platforms should set out codes of conduct for commercial agreements with news publishers, which should be approved and overseen by a regulator “with powers to insist on compliance”.

2) The UK competition watchdog, the Competition and Markets Authority, should carry out a market study into the online advertising industry, taking a closer look at the different players, their “roles, costs and profitability” and identify whether the market is working and what remedies are needed, if any.

3) A regulator should supervise online platforms’ efforts to improve users’ news experience, including expanding efforts to identify reliable and trustworthy sources. “This task is too important to leave entirely to the judgment of commercial entities,” the report said.

4) The Government should develop a media literacy strategy, working with Ofcom, online platforms and news publishers and broadcasters, voluntary groups and academics to “identify gaps in provision” and opportunities to collaborate further.

5) A new Institute for Public Interest News should be created as a dedicated body, free from political or commercial obligations, that can “amplify efforts” to ensure the future sustainability of public-interest news.

6) The Government should launch an innovation fund to develop new approaches and tools to improve the supply of public-interest news which would ultimately be run by the Institute for Public Interest News once it is established.

7) The Government should introduce new forms of tax relief, including extending zero-rated VAT to digital newspapers and magazines as well as digital-only publications, and develop a new form of tax relief, under the Charities Act or along the lines of Creative Sector reliefs, to support public interest journalism.

8) The local democracy reporting service, managed by the BBC in partnership with the News Media Association, should be expanded (it currently employs some 140 journalists). Eventually the management of this should be passed to Institute for Public Interest News.

9) Ofcom should assess whether BBC News Online is “striking the right balance” between getting a wide reach for itself and driving traffic to commercial publishers, particularly local ones. The BBC “should do more to share its technical and digital expertise” to help local publishers.

Information from Google search pages and https://www.pressgazette.co.uk/cairncross-review-institute-for-public-interest-news-innovation-fund-and-tax-reliefs-among-nine-proposals-to-save-uk-news-industry/

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