A national media watchdog has warned that new government plans to tackle online misinformation fail to address weak standards among major newspaper publishers.
The warning comes as ministers consult on a media Green Paper that will fundamentally reshape how people access television and digital news.
Shifting to a digital media age
The government published its new strategy, titled Watch this space: a new strategic direction for UK media, on 23 June 2026.
Led by Ian Murray, the minister for creative industries, media and arts, the strategy outlines a total pivot from traditional broadcasting to a digital-first model.
Research shows traditional television viewing is declining rapidly, with streaming platforms now commanding 74% of viewing time for young people aged 16 to 24.
YouTube has also become the most-watched service for children aged four to 15, capturing a 28% share of total viewing.
To address this structural shift, the government is planning a managed phase-out of traditional television aerial infrastructure.
The current network is guaranteed until 31 December 2034, but ministers are consulting on a final withdrawal of services by 31 December 2044.
The strategy also includes plans to cut businesses’ administrative costs of media regulation by 25% to reduce red tape.
However, the Press Recognition Panel (PRP) has raised serious concerns that these sweeping reforms leave the public unprotected from harmful press reporting.
The watchdog noted that modern news publishers no longer rely solely on traditional print layouts to reach their audience.
Instead, newspapers increasingly produce a variety of digital content, including video snippets, podcasts, push alerts, and social media feeds.
This shift has blurred the lines between the traditional press and regulated broadcasters, allowing the mass distribution of content across digital platforms without the same level of independent oversight.
You can read more about how this changing digital landscape affects local and national publications in the full PRP statement online.
Press accountability remains an outlier
The PRP welcomed the government’s focus on algorithmic risks and online safety but argued that mainstream newspapers are being allowed to mark their own homework.
While broadcast news is externally regulated by Ofcom, many major newspaper publishers rely solely on industry-controlled or internal complaints processes.
The watchdog warned that weak accountability online can have immediate, damaging consequences for social cohesion, community safety, and public trust.
The PRP said: “Where press content is distributed and amplified in this way, weak accountability can have wider and faster consequences for public trust, social cohesion and individual or collective harm.”
Data from a PRP review published in May 2026 highlighted significant failures within existing industry-led complaints frameworks.
The review found that fewer than 1% of all complaints recorded by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) resulted in an upheld decision at a hearing in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
The PRP noted that IPSO has never launched a formal standards investigation or imposed a financial penalty on a publisher.
Read: Why press regulation matters: How it helps protect trust in journalism
The watchdog expressed deep concern over suggestions that compliance with the industry’s own editors’ code could be used as a proxy for trusted news.
They argued that the current code contains major gaps, including a complete lack of protection against discriminatory reporting targeting minority or vulnerable groups.
The PRP has urged Parliament to revisit legal definitions to ensure special platform privileges and online prominence are restricted to genuinely independent regulators.
The watchdog intends to submit a formal response to the consultation in due course to “safeguard public interest and press freedom”.
The green paper consultation runs alongside a wider ongoing review of the BBC Royal Charter, which closed its initial consultation phase in March 2026.
How Bedford news is regulated
Read: Why press regulation matters: A guide to how UK journalism is held to account
The issues highlighted by the national watchdog stand in sharp contrast to how independent local news is held to account in Bedford Borough.
The board of the PRP formally recognised IMPRESS as an approved independent regulator on 25 October 2016.
Unlike industry-controlled bodies, IMPRESS is free from political and publisher influence, and remains subject to regular cyclical reviews by the PRP.
Progress Publishing’s local titles, the Bedford Independent and Bedford Clanger, are both fully regulated by IMPRESS to guarantee independent accountability.
The only other regulated publication in Bedford Borough is regulated by IPSO.
