Theresa May praises the free Press ahead of industry probe

Theresa May last night praised the free Press as a ‘huge force for good’ as she launched a major review into the future of the industry.

The Prime Minister said the rise of online news had slashed revenues and led to the closure of hundreds of local newspapers in recent years, adding that this was ‘dangerous for democracy’.

Announcing a panel of experts to examine how to protect the future of papers, she also warned of the rise of ‘untrustworthy’ news sources. The review will examine how digital advertising revenue ends up in the pockets of web giants such as Google and Facebook – at the expense of high-quality journalism.

Culture secretary Matt Hancock said the review will look at the ‘sustainability of the national, regional and local Press’ and how content creators can be rewarded for their work online

Mrs May said the panel would ask ‘whether the creators of content are getting their fair share of advertisement revenue’. It is expected to report next year.

New technology was having a ‘profound impact’ on the free Press, which was ‘one of the cornerstones of our public debate’.

‘Good quality journalism provides us with the information and analysis we need to inform our viewpoints and conduct a genuine discussion. It is a huge force for good.’

But Mrs May warned that more than 200 local newspapers had closed and even where papers survived, newsrooms had been ‘hollowed out’, raising fears about the sustainability of high-quality journalism. She added: ‘A free Press is one of the foundations on which our democracy is built and it must be preserved.’

Officials said the review will look at ‘the role and impact of online platforms such as Facebook and Google’ on advertising revenue and how they use data about users’ news interests. It will also look at how to tackle so-called ‘clickbait’ and ‘low-quality news’.

Culture Secretary Matt Hancock said: ‘This review will look at the sustainability of the national, regional and local Press [and] how content creators are appropriately rewarded for their online creations.’