Impress combat les Fake News - 14 03 2017
As the parliamentary inquiry into fake news
takes on a new urgency, IMPRESS has recommended that the Government
should complete the implementation of the post-Leveson framework for
press regulation and explore a co-regulatory approach to the
responsibilities of digital intermediaries in relation to news.
IMPRESS has recommended that the Government should begin to tackle
the fake news phenomenon by completing the implementation of the
post-Leveson framework for press regulation.
IMPRESS has also recommended that the Government should explore a
co-regulatory approach to regulating digital intermediaries such as
Google and Facebook.
In a submission to the Culture Select Committee [pdf],
IMPRESS suggests that intermediaries might become liable for certain
forms of harmful content if they fail to respect the judgement of
properly constituted regulators.
Jonathan Heawood, CEO of IMPRESS, said:
‘We all need to make sure that media
regulation is fit for purpose in the twenty-first century. At IMPRESS,
we provide incentives for great journalism, a kitemark to help the
public navigate the new media landscape, and arbitration to resolve
legal disputes. These initiatives form part of the solution to fake
news. However, we agree with others in the industry that the Government
should do more to clarify and enforce the responsibilities of digital
intermediaries towards the public.’
In IMPRESS’s view, the emergence of fake news has not led to a
collapse of trust in the news media but has been enabled by a
pre-existing decline in trust. This has exacerbated the reach of fake
news and the weaponisation of the term ‘fake news’ as a term of abuse by
political figures against authentic news.
IMPRESS cautions the government that this weaponisation of the term
‘fake news’ to justify political attacks on journalism may pose a
greater danger than the phenomenon of fake news itself. It masks an
attack on press freedom and leaves audiences uncertain whether to trust
any news provider, no matter how ethical they may be.
