PPA Festival: agenda highlights
There are only five weeks to go until the PPA Festival, where over 70 industry experts will take to our four stages to inspire, inform, and elevate your understanding.
Industry News
Industry News
This week, the government confirmed the appointment of Dame Frances Cairncross as Chair of the new review to examine the sustainability of high-quality journalism.
Cairncross is an Author, Academic Administrator and former Economic Journalist. She is currently Chair of the Court of Heriot-Watt University and a Trustee at the Natural History Museum. She was previously Senior Editor on The Economist and Principal Economic Columnist for The Guardian.
In 2014, she was made a Dame of the British Empire for services to education.
Cairncross commented: “Having spent much of my working life as a journalist and having seen how the digital revolution has changed both the fortunes of newspapers and the opportunities for distributing news, I am excited to be undertaking this review.
“This is both a challenging and an exciting time for the press, both locally and nationally, and I hope the review will clarify both ways to ensure the future of high-quality journalism and the options for public policy.”
She will be supported by a panel of journalism, academia, advertising and technology experts. This includes: Peter Wright, Matt Rogerson, Ashley Highfield, Geraldine Allinson, Mimi Turner, Douglas McCabe, Stephen Woodford, Akshat Rathi, Polly Curtis and Azeem Azhar.
Speaking at the Oxford Media Convention, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Matt Hancock said:
“Although the internet has been an immense force for good, it has torn apart the established order and raised real questions about the sustainability and profitability of traditional journalism.
“Dame Frances Cairncross will bring her experience in journalism and academia to tackle these issues with a view to examine the press and protect the future of high-quality journalism,” he added.
The government has also published the terms of reference, confirming the term “press” includes both consumer and B2B magazine media. The aim of the review is to examine the current and future market environment facing the press and high-quality journalism in the UK, including:
PPA Managing Director Owen Meredith welcomed the review: “We all know how fast our industry is changing – we are adapting to the digital age with innovative new products and new ways to speak to our audiences across multiple platforms. We also know the many challenges this creates, from dissemination of fake news, to shifting advertising revenues.
“The review will provide an opportunity for the industry to voice concerns and explore potential actions the government could take to ensure a competitive environment in which publishers are able to sustain profitable business models – driving investment in quality journalism that educates, informs and entertains millions of readers.”
The PPA will be contributing to this review over the coming year to give a voice to magazine and business media publishers and to champion diversity across the sector.
The review is expected to report later this year.
There are only five weeks to go until the PPA Festival, where over 70 industry experts will take to our four stages to inspire, inform, and elevate your understanding.
PPA members are invited to attend a webinar on 26 March (4-5pm) organised by Lewis Silkin.
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