UK: Ofcom-Backed Study Could Be Part of a Push to Extend “Impartiality” Rules to Online Media

A government-funded research campaign spearheaded by Ofcom and Cardiff University will raise red flags among free speech advocates, as it aims to scrutinize the so-called impartiality of political news coverage across UK media.

This expansive project, backed by £755,625 ($1,028M) in public funds from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), specifically includes online and broadcast outlets and coincides with the run-up to the 2024/25 general election.

Though framed as an academic endeavor, the collaboration involves not only researchers but a cadre of mainstream broadcasters with longstanding ties to government regulation.

These include the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, Sky News, and ITN. Ofcom, the UK’s communications regulator and enforcer of the wide-reaching and controversial online censorship law, the Online Safety Act, is a central partner.

The project description emphasizes “challenging but urgent questions” about how political coverage is presented to the public and hints at future interventions under the pretense of raising editorial standards.

Cardiff University, which is leading the study, openly states that it intends to “identify where editorial standards can be raised to better inform…audiences.”

While no explicit call for regulatory changes is made, the language closely mirrors the justification often used to extend oversight, particularly toward newer or nonconforming media platforms.

The announcement states that “accusations of so-called media bias abound, often fuelled by edited clips circulating across online and social media platforms rather than scientific studies of news reporting.”

Impartiality rules enforced by Ofcom have repeatedly been used as tools to investigate and sanction broadcasters like GB News and TalkTV which have a large online presence.

The two-year project, beginning July 1, 2025, is directed by Professor Stephen Cushion and Dr Matt Walsh from Cardiff’s School of Journalism, Media and Culture.

Their team will examine political reporting across television, online platforms, and social media.

According to Cardiff’s announcement, the research will explore how news is produced and consumed in both domestic and international contexts. It will also involve interviews with media workers and polling conducted through YouGov.

Professor Cushion defended the mission by invoking widespread concerns about trust and misinformation, saying, “Given the growing concerns about political disinformation and declining levels of trust in an increasingly fragmented digital media environment, it is vital the public have access to accurate and impartial news and analysis.”

Despite its academic presentation, the project resembles a blueprint for expanding control over independent and alternative media voices.

Legacy outlets working alongside a state regulator to define and enforce “impartiality” is not a neutral act. It is a political move. As the media landscape becomes more diverse and digitally driven, initiatives like this risk becoming mechanisms for marginalizing dissenting perspectives and reinforcing the dominance of establishment narratives, all under the banner of serving the public.

While maintaining forms of neutrality when using public broadcasting infrastructure had bigger support in the days before the internet, as more and more media moves online, the strict rules make less sense.

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