High-quality, independent journalism is the bedrock of our democratic society. It informs and engages the public, holds the powerful to account, debunks misinformation, and brings communities together. As the largest investors in journalism in the UK, news media publishers — national, regional, and local — drive the production of journalistic content and often set the news agenda for others to follow.
The titles the News Media Association (NMA) represents offer trusted reporting at a time when facts are routinely challenged, and trust is hard-won. That combination of trust, credibility, and accountability sees UK news brands continue to enjoy healthy readership, reaching 8 in 10 adults across their print and online offering. Despite these contributions, the news media industry faces profound structural challenges that threaten its long-term sustainability — those are the challenges the NMA seeks to support publishers to address to protect press freedom and secure a financially sustainable future for news publishing.
The digital revolution has allowed publishers to reach more people than ever before. No longer the preserve of the printed page, our journalism is read, watched, and listened to by millions across a plethora of platforms and formats. However, the commercial model underpinning that journalism has been repeatedly redrawn and struggled to keep pace with a rapid shift in consumption patterns and a rise in platforms and content competing for attention.
Although news publishers provide much of the content that drives online engagement, publishers are routinely denied fair compensation for the value they create. The current digital marketplace is heavily skewed in favour of a small number of powerful tech platforms that act as the gatekeepers to audiences and dominate the online advertising market. Reports such as the Cairncross Review and the Competition and Markets Authority’s extensive investigations have made this imbalance clear. Google and Meta may derive up to £1bn in annual value from news publisher content that appears on their platforms, yet return only a tiny fraction of that to those who create it. One academic study estimates that Google alone contributes less than £75m a year to UK publishers, despite making use of British journalism on a massive scale — a trend that will only continue as AI overviews and other AI services rely on news sources for up-to-date information.
This structural imbalance places a huge strain on publishers’ business models, particularly in local news. All accelerated by the rise of generative AI — itself highly dependent on rich depth and breadth of content with a consistent and authoritative voice.
Local titles are vital to the health of our democracy. They hold councils and public bodies to account, campaign on issues that matter to their readers, support local businesses, and connect communities. They are trusted in a way that national institutions often are not. A new study published recently reveals that trust in local media has grown significantly over the past year, with 80 per cent of UK adults now saying they trust the news and information they see in their local media, up from 73 per cent in 2024.
Yet these same local titles operate under severe financial pressure, and despite their resilience and innovation in providing local news and information, their ability to continue fulfilling this essential democratic function is increasingly at risk.
Implementing the DMCCA
With the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act (DMCCA) now in force, we are entering a critical implementation phase. The CMA’s investigation into Google Search is underway, as are parallel probes into Apple and Google’s mobile ecosystems. We believe Meta’s Facebook should be next for designation.
We support the CMA’s proposal to designate Google Search Strategic Market Status and welcome its recognition of the specific challenges publishers face with the rise of AI-generated content. However, it is crucial that the conduct requirements (the tools now in the CMA’s disposal to tackle specific behaviours on individually designated platforms and address anti-competitive behaviour) for platforms to operate on ‘fair and reasonable terms’ must not be delayed. The NMA continues to work with the CMA, government, and, when appropriate, the tech platforms themselves to ensure these principles become a reality.
The CMA’s designation decisions are due this autumn and offer the opportunity for a decisive shift in the power balance between platforms and publishers.
Protecting IP
AI is reshaping the digital landscape at pace. While it offers vast and exciting opportunities, it also poses significant risks to journalism. Generative AI tools routinely extract and repurpose journalistic content without permission or compensation — for both training and for RAG. This undermines copyright law and damages the sustainability of our sector. The government’s current proposals, including an ‘opt-out’ approach to AI training, fail to address the core issue: publishers and creators must retain control over how their work is used. UK copyright law already provides strong protection for intellectual property — what is needed now is enforcement and transparency, not new exceptions that allow tech firms to circumvent clear and reasonable obligations.
The NMA, alongside over 70 other organisations, founded the Creative Rights in AI Coalition to press for stronger safeguards for IP holders. Our Make It Fair campaign, launched earlier this year, brought together national and local news brands to speak with one voice against proposals that would weaken copyright protections. This united effort also found strong support from across the creative industries, including figures such as Sir Elton John, Dua Lipa and Kate Mosse. Journalism, like music and the arts, is a product of creativity, skill, and labour. It cannot be endlessly scraped, repurposed, and monetised without undermining the economic foundation on which it is built. Publishers must retain the right to decide how and when their content is used by AI companies and must be fairly compensated for that use. Generative AI is often marketed as “creating” content, but in truth, it synthesises information harvested from existing work — including our journalism — and presents it without context or editorial oversight; often making things up or ‘hallucinating’ in the process. It is vital that as these tools become increasingly mainstream, industry and wider society work to ensure the public understands this distinction and that clear transparency requirements are imposed on AI developers.
The government is expected to respond to the Copyright and AI consultation, which received over 11,000 responses, before the end of the year and set out its next steps on this journey. All those with an interest in the creative industries and intellectual property must be ready to step up the fight and hold firm against the lobbying power of big tech.
Standing up for press freedom
Quality journalism will always be key in exposing fake news, verifying facts, and equipping the public with the trusted news and information they need. That is why safeguarding journalism must be treated as a democratic priority.
Alongside digital and AI challenges, press freedom remains an ever-present concern. The UK currently ranks 23rd in the RSF World Press Freedom Index, but we should be much higher. Strategic lawsuits against public participation, or SLAPPs, have been extensively used to intimidate and silence journalists, particularly by wealthy individuals seeking to avoid scrutiny. These lawsuits, often baseless, tie up journalists and publishers in lengthy and costly legal battles to suppress public interest reporting. The NMA welcomed the formation of the government’s SLAPPs Taskforce, and we are pleased to be playing an active role in its work. However, we now need robust legislative action. SLAPPs are not just a threat to individual journalists — they are a direct attack on the public’s right to know.
We also continue to press for better access to public interest information. Journalists must be able to attend government briefings, political events, and judicial proceedings without fear of being excluded or discriminated against. These are not privileges — they are essential for a functioning democracy.
The future of journalism is not one of decline, but of potential. Trusted local news brands are innovating to meet the needs of their audiences, developing new digital offerings, and forming partnerships that strengthen their place at the heart of their communities. The launch of our Local Media Works online hub showcases the success stories, campaigns and case studies that demonstrate the reach and relevance of our industry. It is a resource for advertisers, policymakers, and brands to understand why local journalism matters more than ever.
Deeds not words
Yet innovation must be supported by action. That includes increased government advertising with local titles — shifting existing government spend away from big tech, towards domestic businesses with the capability to reach and engage huge audiences — as well as targeted tax reliefs, extended business rates exemptions, and the continuance of the statutory requirement to publish public notices in print. These are lifelines for many titles and essential to preserving the public’s right to know.
But this is not just a challenge to the government. If we value independent journalism and its societal role, we should all back it, whether that is by buying a newspaper, subscribing to a newsletter, or placing our ad spend in highly trusted and engaging news environments. Words are one thing; actions are the true test.
As we approach Journalism Matters week from 3-9 November, we have a powerful opportunity to celebrate what journalism delivers for our society and make the case for the support we urgently need. This also dovetails with Creative Careers Month, running throughout November, where we will be working with members and partners to highlight the opportunities within the news media sector to start and build a long-term career.
At the NMA, we will continue to fight for a sustainable future for journalism — one in which publishers are fairly compensated, rights are respected, and journalists are protected. We believe in a media ecosystem where innovation flourishes, diversity thrives, and the public remains informed by sources they can trust. That vision will only be realised if government, regulators, and platforms act decisively — and if they place the interests of the public, and of journalism, at the heart of our digital future.
This article was first published in InPublishing magazine. If you would like to be added to the free mailing list to receive the magazine, please register here.
