Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask His Majesty's Government, following the remarks by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport at the RTS London Convention in September that media organisations telling the truth is not just a right but a duty, what steps they intend to take to ensure that broadcasters and newspapers uphold this standard, and what sanctions are being considered in cases where they fail to do so.

The government is committed to a free and independent media. Having a free and fair press that is completely independent of the Government, is important to ensure the public have access to accurate and trustworthy information from a range of different sources. We are clear, however, that with this freedom comes responsibility, which the media must take seriously. An independent self-regulatory regime is important to ensure the press adheres to clear and high standards, and offers individuals a means of redress where these are not met. These regulators enforce codes of conduct which provide guidelines on a range of areas, including discrimination, accuracy, privacy, and harassment. If they find that a newspaper has broken the code of conduct, they can order corrections. IPSO can also order critical adjudications and Impress can levy fines.

Ofcom is the UK’s regulator for broadcasting and by law carries out its duties independently of the Government. Ofcom’s Broadcasting Code contains rules to ensure that broadcast news is reported with due accuracy and presented with due impartiality. It is for Ofcom, as the independent regulator, to determine whether there has been a breach of their rules and whether to apply sanctions.