There is no doubt about it that the UK has taken part in housing many of the world's greatest news and media outlets, the BBC being just one of them. The United Kingdom has a rich history in news reporting and have had news outlets that have been very reliable and nonbiased in times of need. The UK is extremely open when it comes to the reporting of news and the media is, "free and able to report on all aspects of British life," (BBC). The citizens of the UK also have a, "variety of publications," that reflect, "the full spectrum of political opinion," that allows for citizens to hear several different points of view and thoughts on matters (BBC). The ability for news companies to be able to publish openly and freely as they please are very important and stands strong throughout the United Kingdom.
There are, "hundreds of privately-owned radio and TV stations," that, "compete with the BBC for listeners and viewers," creating a fierce competition to provide the best news coverage as possible (BBC). In addition to radio and TV stations, a majority of UK citizens are online in some way, shape, or form. As of July 2022, "there were 65 million internet users," within the UK, which is a drastic, "95% of the population," (BBC). On top of those numbers, as of February 2022, over, "84%," of the UK's population were active on social media (BBC). This large percentage of people actively online allows for a freer and more often flow of news and information as people are able to read and send anything they would like to others.
There was one instance back in 2012, where a new system was recommended that emphasized self-regulation for the press after there was a hacking scandal. While many politicians agreed to create a system that would distribute large fines and enforce for newspapers to publish any corrections, the industry objected it overall as they felt that it, "would give politicians too much power," (BBC). This goes to show though that the media and news outlets do have power and say apart from the government and politics in order to hold one another accountable and to share proper facts and news findings. The BBC is one of the world's most reliable news outlets and is, "Britain's most popular online news destination," which speaks volume to the pride and trust that UK citizens have in the news outlet as well as the rest of the world (BBC). It is great to see that the United Kingdom is holding standards high as to the freedom of press and speech and that its citizens have such freedom to gather any and all information to be able to openly share it as well.
BBC. (2023a, May 22). United Kingdom Media Guide. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-18027956
I feel like the media in the UK is very similar to the media in the US as both countries seem to value freedom of the press. Both the UK and the US also have a very high percentage of their populations online and using social media. Something interesting that I've noticed is that many British news outlets, at least online, seem to report on American news. I don't feel like the US does this to the same extent. I wonder if people from the UK are more informed about global events than people in the US.
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