On 6 November 2024, the UK Department for Culture, Media, and Sport opened a consultation on proposed amendments to the Enterprise Act 2002 until 18 December 2024. This Act allows the Secretary of State to intervene in mergers and acquisitions of broadcasters and traditional print media where such activity may adversely impact accurate reporting, freedom of expression, and media plurality. The proposed amendments expand the scope of the Act to also cover online news publications as well as publications that are circulated on a weekly or monthly basis. The Act currently only applies to local newspapers, daily newspapers, and Sunday editions of daily newspapers. Another proposed change is to expand the current definition of "public interest" in the Act to account for a sufficient plurality of views in the media on the basis that mergers could reduce this diversity. An additional proposed change is to update rules of foreign state intervention to capture cases where foreign state actors may seek to acquire or exert influence over online news publications with significant UK readership or editorial presence.
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