What is the NMA doing about it?
The NMA believes that news media publishers should be allowed to compete in a fair marketplace which does not include taxpayer-funded state competitors. The industry successfully campaigned for new rules preventing local authorities from publishing council newspapers more often than quarterly. This has seen most councils rein in their publications. In August 2019, the High Court dismissed a challenge by two London councils to the Government's crackdown on council papers, with the judge stating that restricting council papers promotes freedom of expression.
The NMA is also active in promoting to Government and other public bodies the efficacy of news media as an advertising medium for campaigns and public messages. For example, the NMA has for many years highlighted the importance of local authorities using local newspapers for public notices in order to ensure they are seen by the public as possible and not hidden away on little-used council websites.
The NMA contributed to the BBC Charter renewal process, articulating the concerns of member publishers throughout, and winning assurances that the BBC will not overextend its local services into the territory of local media publishers. As part of that work, the BBC and NMA announced the ground-breaking Local News Partnership with the BBC investing up to £8 million a year over 11 years. The initiative has created 150 new Local Democracy Reporter journalism jobs, a shared data journalism unit, and a facility allowing local news providers access to local BBC material. Since its inception, the model has been widely praised and emulated overseas. In her review of the UK of the news media sector, Dame Frances Cairncross called for the scheme to be extended.