Journalists demonstrate a high regard for the need for social media verification in their work. While print media do not publicise guidelines for social media verification, broadcast newsrooms tend to have detailed procedures in place, particularly for international Coverage.
There is an imbalance in the frequency of female voices as expert sources in UK news coverage, and in the portrayal of women in certain outlets, though several news organizations, particularly broadcasters, have engaged in policy reviews and have introduced new policies and procedures to address the problem.
Despite recent improvements in the representation of women in the very top editing and managerial roles, women continue to be underrepresented in managerial roles and a substantial gender pay gap remains.
Broadcast news in the UK is governed by a series of regular procedures on new selection and processing. Newspapers also supply detailed guidelines to journalists on newsgathering and verification.
Broadcast news in the UK is largely insulated from commercial pressures, although political interference in public service broadcasters has grown in the past decade. Commercial news outlets have a wide range of advertising partners, though there is some evidence of editorial favourability to certain industries.
Newsrooms and management are generally separate, though changing business practices in UK newspapers is leading to a more porous boundary between the editorial and commercial arms of media companies.
Newsrooms in the UK continue on average to be hierarchical, with editorial coordination concentrated among senior roles at the expense of ordinary journalists. The appointments of editors-in-chief rarely involve journalists.
News agencies are widely used by UK journalists, and there has been consistent evidence of the infiltration of public relations material into journalism, but journalists and editors have a high degree of autonomy in the pursuit of stories and sources.
News consumption remains high, with varied and diverging patterns of media use among different age groups. Decline in consumption of print journalism in the past decade has been significant, though the growth of online audiences offsets this to a degree.
News media are widely available throughout the four nations of the United Kingdom in broadcast, print and online form. While the local newspaper industry is under pressure, there are few areas where dedicated local coverage is not available to citizens.News media are widely available throughout the four nations of the United Kingdom in broadcast, print and online form. While the local newspaper industry is under pressure, there are few areas where dedicated local coverage is not available to citizens.
The Media for Democracy Monitor (MDM) is a research project from The Euromedia Research Group. This is a network of researchers that collects and exchanges information that help to describe and analyse developments in media structure and policy in Europe.
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