Review into news media industry can’t come soon enough

Comment John Mclellan

Prime Minister Theresa May has repeated her commitment to find ways of creating a “fair playing field” for regional and local publishers struggling to compete with Google and Facebook for digital advertising.

A UK government review of the news media industry begins next month and she told a meeting of the Johnston Press editorial board that a different definition of the tech giants may be needed to address arguments about their responsibilities.

She said: “Maybe there is actually a third category, something else that best describes what they do that starts to find some way in terms of looking at their liability rather than them just being able to say: ‘Well, it’s nothing to do with us’.”

It’s unlikely a new definition will be enough to change the way they operate but at least the problem is recognised at the highest level.

The so-called Duopoloy now controls over a quarter of all global advertising and the threat is not just to news publishers but to the complex web of creative and booking agencies as the tech giants increasingly take those services in house. Agencies have fought tenaciously over the years to prevent publishers dealing directly with major advertisers, but now clients can access Google’s 44 per cent of the world’s digital advertising market place without going through middle-men.

As Silicon Valley’s Dark Star sucks more commercial life towards it, Mrs May’s review can’t come quick enough. new approaches to digital publication and social media.

Producing the bill and accompanying report has involved two consultation processes, one prior to the production of the draft legislation and another to test subsequent reaction, and the final version was presented to justice minister Michael Matheson in December. It has been passed to junior minster Annabelle Ewing for consideration and an initial government response is expected in March. The Scottish Parliament’s justice committee, is taking a keen interest and if the bill does not make it into the government’s legislative programme there is a strong chance it could be adopted as a committee bill. ● John Mclellan is director of the Scottish Newspaper Society