week 18 - Fake news needs real press self-regulation

You report (‘Facebook has a duty to tackle fake news’: Damian Collins interview, 30 January) that MPs are planning to investigate what can be done about fake news. It will be interesting to see whether they are ready to pursue all originators of fake news, who notoriously include many of our national newspapers. 

Any definition of fake news that is based on the deliberate propagation of false information in social media will inevitably include the press. Any definition based on the pursuit of profit must also include national newspapers. On the other hand, a definition that contrives to exclude national newspapers from scrutiny will obviously be an evasion. 

The same report informs us that Mr Collins, as chair of the media select committee, favours scrapping section 40, which is designed to support effective press self-regulation that is totally independent of government. This would uphold standards of accuracy in journalism in a way that current “regulation” does not. If Mr Collins is really worried about fake news he should think again.