The UK’s commercial press functions according to some unwritten and unstated rules of production which can impact negatively on the quality of news. However, there is a marked difference between the popular press, on the one hand, and the quality press and the more regulated television news providers, on the other.
There is little evidence of any direct external influence on the UK media, though general commercial pressures adversely influence the quality of news. The main area of potential direct influence is proprietorial guidance/pressure relayed via the internal management structure, but the actual extent is disputed. The public service broadcasters – and certain newspapers – are free from such pressures.
There is little evidence of formal newsroom democracy and research suggests a pattern of strong managerial dominance, particularly in the newspaper sector. However, there are exceptions to this rule.
Research indicates reliance on official and PR sources of information and strong commercial pressures militating against investigative journalism. Yet there remains a reasonably healthy degree of independent and critical journalism.
Television is the primary source of news, followed by newspapers. The Internet is important, especially for the young for whom it is the prime source. Traditional media are adapting and the BBC website is a particularly important source.
A wide variety of news media is available to UK 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.
Drop your email to get updates about the study
