A collection of essays commissioned by Britain’s oldest thinktank the Fabian Society, which is affiliated with the Labour Party, includes a proposal that the Government give Ofcom a role in press regulation along the lines recommended in the Leveson Report.  The recommendation is made on behalf of senior Labour Peer Baroness Elliott and the Hacked Off Campaign.  It follows a series of chapters making further policy recommendations for media reform, and a foreword from podcaster, journalist and former press secretary Alastair Campbell.

Further recommendations in the Fabians’ “Pressing Issues” essay collection include:

• Reinstate Leveson Part Two (Jacqui Hames, broadcaster and victim of press intrusion)
• Close the loopholes in the Online Safety Act, which exempt newspaper websites from duties to protect the public (Peter Jukes, Byline Times)
• Address vexatious litigation against journalists (Sir Wayne David)

The report features chapters from a number of important figures in the Labour and experts in the press reform movement, including former MPs Sir Wayne David and Baroness Julie Elliott, Byline Times editor Hardeep Matharu, NUJ Ethics Chair Professor Chris Frost and Press Justice Project Chair Stephen Kinsella OBE.

Its topics cover media ownership, the rise of “clickbait”, protection of journalists, and press standards.

A full copy of the report is here, and the recommendations are as follows:

Nathan Sparkes and Julie Elliott

Give Ofcom powers to act as a backstop regulator for newspapers which do not join an independent regulator recognised under the royal charter.

Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana

Endorse the press recognition system established by the royal charter and create the conditions for it to operate and give effect to its objectives.

Establish a public inquiry or consultation to assess the national and international evidence on different regulatory models.

Jacqui Hames

Reinstate the second part of the Leveson Inquiry.

‍Iggy Wood

Tighten competition law to prevent newspaper publishers acquiring an excessive market share, and extend ‘fit and proper’ rules to newspapers.

Revive plans set out in the Cairncross review to provide public funding for smaller news outlets.

End the lobby system in political journalism. At a minimum, expand its membership to include many more specialist journalists, and establish clear public interest duties.

Peter Jukes

Hold newspapers to the same standards as individual social media users under the Online Safety Act.

Close the loophole that gives newspaper publishers special exemptions online. Their social media accounts and websites should meet the same standards as individual users, especially when it comes to harmful content.

Stephen Kinsella

Encourage Ofcom to properly use the powers it has under the Online Safety Act to tackle unsafe social media design features.

Consider establishing a dedicated and more energetic regulator if Ofcom fails to deliver noticeable reductions in harm.

Mandy Garner

Regulation to address "clickbait" in the press and via social media.

Sir Wayne David

Introduce a new anti-SLAPP bill, building on the private member’s bill proposed during the last parliament.

Consult on incentivised or compulsory mechanisms of alternative dispute resolution for defamation cases as an interim measure, to end the threat of excessive costs which give SLAPPS their intimidating effect (while also depriving poorly resourced claimants of access to justice).

Barbora Bukovská

Put protection of journalists first: The government should link aid and trade to media freedom by making continued UK development aid and preferential trade agreements conditional on measurable progress in investigating and prosecuting attacks on journalists.

Protect British journalists and media workers abroad: The UK should immediately adopt the Jimmy Lai bill, which would guarantee consular access for arbitrarily detained British journalists and media workers abroad.

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