The digital democratic dividend

Abstract

This commentary proposes a public campaign to counter the threat to standards of journalism posed by the expansion of digital media. It looks in particular at the lack of editorial oversight of material purporting to be news offered by Internet search and social media services. The call to regulate these services in order to combat so-called ‘fake news’ comes up against the awkward question of ‘who would regulate in the name of whom?’. To picture a way forward it is necessary to understand the governance framework within which these services operate. This leads to the answer that effective action will require pressure from civil society and the traditional media.