Andrew Neil and other media executives give evidence on future of news
The Communications and Digital Committee takes evidence from Andrew Neil, Chairman of the Spectator, and other media executives as it continues its inquiry into the future of news.
Meeting details
Background
The inquiry examines the changing media landscape and what needs to happen to ensure a thriving, trusted and financially sustainable news ecosystem. Key areas include the broadening concept of what constitutes ‘news’, the impact of a decline in trust in traditional news outlets, the challenges around editorial decisions, and the impact of tech platforms and generative AI on news media business models. It comes amid the world’s largest election year, and ahead of an anticipated U.K. general election.
Possible areas for discussion
Possible areas for discussion with Andrew Neil include:
- whether there is sufficient diversity of opinion in UK broadcasting;
- the impact of new entrants such as GB News and TalkTV on the media landscape, and how their offering compares to traditional outlets;
- the long-term sustainability of high quality journalism and how it should be funded; and
- how interventionist governments should be in the coming years to support the news sector.
Possible areas for discussion with James Harding, John Quinlan and Tom Slater include:
- the role of smaller and alternative news providers in the UK’s news sector;
- barriers to financial sustainability (including challenges in the advertising market, relationships with tech platforms, and regulation); and
- how well the contribution of smaller news providers is represented in government policy thinking.