Misinformation: Social Market Foundation Report
Debate between Baroness Teather and Lord Leong
Lord Leong (Lab)
The noble Lord raises a point that is close to my heart. We have to protect every community, not just the Black or Asian community or any other minority community. Misinformation is the sharing of false information without the intent to cause harm, whereas disinformation involves the deliberate creation or dissemination of falsehood to mislead, manipulate and undermine public trust. For such breaches of the law, including what the noble Lord has mentioned, there are clear legal powers to investigate and prosecute offences. The Online Safety Act imposes a duty on platforms to mitigate illegal content and protect users from harmful online activity.
Baroness Teather (LD)
My Lords, the SMF report, referenced earlier by the noble Baroness, Lady Berger, recommends expanding the BBC’s Local Democracy Reporting Service as a countermeasure to news deserts and fake news, which seems even more urgent after the shocking violence we have seen this week. Will the Government commit to ensuring that the BBC has additional funds to expand the LDR service and make it a condition of expansion that local independent publishers are prioritised over large regional corporates, which currently have more than 80% of LDR contracts?
Lord Leong (Lab)
Local media plays a vital role in informing citizens, strengthening democratic accountability and fostering cohesive communities. We have provided funding of up to £12 million through our local media action plan, which aims to support a healthy and plural local media sector right across the country. It will help local newsrooms innovate and adopt sustainable business models for the digital age, while encouraging the production of high-quality and trustworthy journalism on which communities can rely, particularly at a time when misinformation and disinformation pose growing challenges.