News Media Regulation: A Mixed Membership Model Approach
The traditional platform-centric approach to media regulation is no longer tenable with the distinct line between broadcast and print media being blurred by mainstream media combining text and video via the internet. To address platform convergence, the Law Commission recommends a universal news media regulator, the News Media Standards Authority, which encompasses broadcasters, the press and onlineonly providers. The Commission endorses a voluntary membership model with a range of incentives to entice entities to join. This paper will critique the efficacy of the Commission’s incentives before undertaking a first principles analysis of news media regulation to illustrate the need for an element of compulsion in the membership model of the News Media Standards Authority. This paper argues that a mixed membership model, whereby a matrix of factors is used to determine the entities that will be required to join, is more appropriate for the News Media Standards Authority.