The Culture, Media and Sport Committee has today published the
Government response to the report from the committee in the last
Parliament on trusted voices.
The report, published in
April, followed an inquiry into the role of the media,
Government and public institutions in acting as and supporting
authoritative and trusted sources of information.
The response says that the Government broadly agrees with the
report and sets out a range of legislative and non-legislative
actions to address the spread of misinformation and
disinformation.
On specific recommendations from the previous committee, the
response says that the Government is committed to continuing to
support and encourage government scientists in engaging
effectively with the media and sets out planned changes to
improve the experience of users of gov.uk. The Government also
says it looks forward to working with Ofcom as it implements its
recently published Media Literacy Strategy.
The Government however rejects the call for the Government to be
involved in setting objectives and benchmarks for the National
Academies, arguing that it would hinder their independence.
However, following the report's recommendation, the Government
says it will strengthen its monitoring and evaluation of the DSIT
funded parts of the National Academies' public engagement, and
engage in dialogue with them about how public funding can
positively contribute towards their role in the public
information landscape.
Chair of the CMS Committee, Dame MP, said:
“The problem of the spread of misinformation and disinformation
is not going away, so it's more important than ever that the
public has access to accurate and authoritative information.
Publicly-funded institutions, such as the National Academies,
must be at the forefront of this mission.
I hope the new Government can build on the consensus and findings
of the last committee as it looks to promote trusted voices and
combat the harm that false information can cause to society.”
