In an effort to secure the future of news and reporting, the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee are discussing the prospect of tax breaks for publishers, allowing for easier hiring of local journalists.
This idea stems from the risks of two-tier media, where specific sectors receive the best treatment, whilst others are neglected. In order to incentivise new, local hires, the tax breaks for publishers may provide the change journalists – and news as a whole – need.
News droughts
The report from the committee doesn’t exactly paint a hopeful picture of the future of journalism, questioning the certainty of an informed society with a common and shared understanding of the facts. With local news being heavily impacted, this means there are blind spots, or news droughts/deserts, where scrutiny of councils, politicians, and public bodies isn’t being shared with local readers. If news is neglected on the local scale, this could lead to top-heavy news systems that don’t provide the nuance that smaller-scale issues need.
Thankfully, these problems are being recognised, and changes are being proposed to save journalism. The future may look worrying, but acknowledging the issues allows for positive changes to be made before it’s too late.
The proposed changes
The main change being called for is support for local media through tax breaks, allowing for local journalists to be hired without publishers fearing for their profits and funds. Also in the report were calls for AI usage being transparent as to how publisher content is used – a subject worth reading into as this tech continues to evolve – and media literacy programmes.
These changes bode well for prospective journalists, or people seeking to step into the world of journalism. For those interested, there are plenty of engaging journalism courses available online to get prepared, such as News Associates.
This isn’t the first time there’s been a problem in the news industry, and it’s unlikely it’ll be the last. New technology, laws, and people have always caused adaptations to be made, and these latest changes look to stabilise a shaky news system.
