PPA working with UK govt to include magazine protections in online safety bill

The UK’s Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Draft Online Safety Bill has recognised the Professional Publishers Association’s (PPA) recommendation to extend the parameters of the upcoming bill to protect business and consumer magazine content. 

The PPA has highlighted that the draft Bill fails to recognise the value of specialist publishers’ content, arguing that content that is already subject to independent regulation should not be impacted by the duty of care placed on tech giants.

Accordingly, the Committee has recognised these concerns regarding the scope of the definitions of content to be protected, stating: “The Professional Publishers Association called for the “news-related material” requirement to be changed in favour of including consumer magazines and business media, which may currently fall outside of the definition if not focussing on current affairs”.

The Government must respond to the Committee’s report within two months, with the legislation expected to be passed in late 2022 or early 2023. PPA will look to engage with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to create a definition of “news-related material” which encompasses specialist publications, recognising the sector as an indispensable element of the UK’s media ecosystem.

Speaking to FIPP about the developments, Sebastian Cuttill, Public Affairs Executive for the PPA, said: “PPA is pleased that MPs and peers have recognised the value of consumer magazine and business media publishers’ content, and calls on Government to ensure that all publishers already subject to regulation by IPSO are protected in the Bill.”

“Ensuring that professionally produced content covering a range of topic is readily available on online platforms will be critical in ensuring the success of the media literacy provisions in the legislation.”

You can find more on the PPA website here.