Polling finds more than three quarters of MPs concerned for local journalism

Polling conducted throughout July by YouGov, on behalf of IPSO, has found 60 per cent of 103 MPs, weighted by party, gender and geography, felt local journalism was in poor health.

The findings are consistent across different parties, with more than 75 per cent of MPs across the House expressing concerns about the issue.

The findings highlight the importance of effective regulation and high editorial standards to maintain confidence in the quality of local journalism.

IPSO Chief Executive Charlotte Dewar said:

“We have seen Parliamentary activity in recent years on challenges facing local journalism, as well as questions asked about how the sector can be supported.

“This latest research shows just how deeply these concerns are felt across the House of Commons.”

The state of local journalism has been repeatedly examined in Parliament in recent years, including in the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee’s 2023 Sustainability of local journalism report and the House of Lords’ Communications and Digital Committee’s 2024 Future of news report. More than a dozen questions on the issue have been raised in the past year alone.

IPSO is continuing to engage with local newsrooms across the country as it conducts its series of regional tours, talking with news teams to understand how it can further support them to deliver high-quality journalism with the high editorial standards required of IPSO regulation.

YouGov’s polling also found near-unanimous support for an independent press regulator, not influenced by government. In total, 95 per cent of all respondents told researchers this was important to them.

Charlotte Dewar added:

“These two issues are deeply linked – an independent press regulator can give readers the confidence to know they are reading news content that is held to high editorial standards and will continue to play a vital role in addressing this crisis in news provision.”