Written questions

Local Press

Commons · Question 27766 · Tabled 7 Sep 2026 · Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport · Official record

Answered 14 Sep 2026

Question

Asked by Gregory Stafford

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the impact of the closure of regional media companies and titles on (a) local democratic accountability, (b) employment in journalism and the wider creati

Answer

Answered by Ian Murray, 14 Sep 2026

Digitalisation has posed challenges to the financial sustainability of local media. At least 293 local newspapers have closed since 2005, equivalent to around a third of the sector. The number of journalists employed by the three largest local news publis...