Newspaper regulation

Does news regulation belong in a democracy? 

Provide judgements and reach conclusions.

Regulation is defined as a rule or directive made and maintained by an authority; a democracy relies on freedom of speech and the freedom of press, therefore regulation becomes difficult in the UK's democratic society, as the government must respect that freedom of the public and journalists, however the public also deserve privacy and respect from explicit or upsetting topics that might affect their lives.

The theorists, Livingstone and Lunt studied regulation and claim that there is an underlying struggle in UK regulation between the needs to further the interests of citizens (by offering protection from harmful or offensive material) and the need to further the interests of consumers (by ensuring choice, value for money, and market competition)

This increasing power of global media conglomerates and the digital age have put traditional regulation at risk. A good example of this rising struggle of regulation is of the previous TV presenter, Caroline Flack. One of the Guardian's latest articles this year argues that "freedom of the press should be balanced with the need for sensible regulations to protect vulnerable people." Flack's unexpected, sudden death has forced the government and public to become cognizant of the need for stricter press regulations, in the hopes of preventing any further tragic incidences such as Flack's, as her death is allegedly due to the way the press and some of the public were negatively portraying her.

IPSO is the largest independent regulator of the newspaper and magazine industry in the UK and exists to promote and uphold the highest professional standards of journalism in the UK, and to support members of the public in seeking redress where they believe that the Editors' Code of Practice has been breached. The organisation was established in 2014 following the windup of the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) which had been the main industry regulator of the press in the UK since 1990, and this follows after the Leveson Inquiry; this was a judicial public inquiry into the practices and ethics of the British press, preceding the News International phone hacking scandal. The concept was to provide more regulation for news and restrict the freedom of journalists to prevent harassment.  One of the Government's commitments in implementing the Inquiry's recommendations related to the fact that while industry should regulate itself, there should be some independent verification of the regulatory arrangements the press put into place.

News regulation could also be seen to oppose the concept of freedom of speech and therefore some may believe that news regulation does not belong in a democratic society. However, in recent years, the behaviour of certain journalists and the dangerous impacts of the news has prompted many to call for much stricter regulation provided by the government to protect the citizens of the country. The Guardian article again claims, "It isn't about censoring the press. It's about making all news publishers accountable within a system of independent self-regulation." meaning that the press should be individually aware of their limitations, and respect this for the better of the vulnerable public.

Too much regulation can cause problems too, which is representative through China's democracy; theirs was introduced in the late 19th century. Modern Chinese leaders state that they run a 'socialist democracy' where the Communist Party of China is a central authority that acts in the interests of the people. Public opinion surveys shows that more than 90% of Chinese citizens believe that having a democracy is good. But the majority is not yet ready for a major effort towards democratisation because they still see economic growth and social stability as more important than freedom of speech, political participation, and other democratic rights.

To conclude, freedom of speech is essential for a successful democracy as the public deserve liberty, however, they also deserve protection from some things that the press exploit to the world. There should e a good balance of freedom of speech and press, with the need for protection and regulation.