The Media Bill: Briefing for the House of Lords Second Reading

In a recent submission to the Communications and Digital Committee, we argued that bias and disinformation found across the UK’s news media landscape is eroding trust and alienating Muslim and other minoritised communities. Meanwhile, current press regulation mechanisms are failing to sufficiently address press abuses, thereby further alienating Muslims from the industry as a whole.

While the Media Bill provides a potential route to a modernised public service media landscape that is more accountable and democratic, Clause 50 (the repeal of Section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act 2013) will serve to reverse progress made since the Leveson Inquiry to tackle press abuses, and instead further entrench a regulatory system that is currently not fit for purpose.

As such, we urge members of the House of Lords to amend or remove Clause 50 of the Media Bill to either immediately commence Section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act 2013 or implement an equivalent mechanism to protect the freedom of speech and hold the press to account under an independent system of self-regulation.