Misinformation: Social Market Foundation Report

Question

Asked by

To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the Social Market Foundation report No news is bad news: The hidden threat of unchecked local misinformation, published on 8 June.

My Lords, the Government recognise the harmful impact of misinformation and the vital role of trusted local journalism in upholding democratic accountability. We continue to monitor emerging evidence, including the Social Market Foundation’s report. The Online Safety Act requires platforms to tackle illegal content and content harmful to children, including misinformation and disinformation. Alongside regulation, we are strengthening trusted information sources and media literacy through our Protecting What Matters strategy and DSIT’s “You Won’t Know Until You Ask” campaign.

My Lords, new analysis from the Social Market Foundation has found that more than one in four news-related posts on X are misinformation, and this proportion is rising sharply during election periods. Fake news spiked by one and a half on Facebook during the recent local election. We know that more people are increasingly consuming their local news from social media. This spread of false information is now a direct threat to our democratic process. I listened carefully to my noble friend the Minister in his response, but what more can be done to tackle this to ensure that our elections are not being compromised?

My Lords, my noble friend raises an important point. The Online Safety Act captures disinformation intended to disrupt elections when it constitutes an electoral offence, including foreign interference, incitement of violence against candidates and false statements about personal character. The Defending Democracy Taskforce, led by DSIT, works closely with government agencies, regulators and online platforms, particularly during recent elections, to improve preparedness, promote trustworthy information sources, and protect the integrity and resilience of our democratic process.

My Lords, could the Minister tell me what work is being done to protect Black and Afro-Caribbean communities in particular from misinformation online? One of the most egregious examples of this was that, during the Covid period, Black communities were encouraged to believe that we were immune to Covid because we have melanin in our skin. We are under particular attack from fake doctors and all manner of fake people online. What work is being done for that very vulnerable community to defend it from disinformation and misinformation?

The noble Lord raises a point that is close to my heart. We have to protect every community, not just the Black or Asian community or any other minority community. Misinformation is the sharing of false information without the intent to cause harm, whereas disinformation involves the deliberate creation or dissemination of falsehood to mislead, manipulate and undermine public trust. For such breaches of the law, including what the noble Lord has mentioned, there are clear legal powers to investigate and prosecute offences. The Online Safety Act imposes a duty on platforms to mitigate illegal content and protect users from harmful online activity.

My Lords, the SMF report, referenced earlier by the noble Baroness, Lady Berger, recommends expanding the BBC’s Local Democracy Reporting Service as a countermeasure to news deserts and fake news, which seems even more urgent after the shocking violence we have seen this week. Will the Government commit to ensuring that the BBC has additional funds to expand the LDR service and make it a condition of expansion that local independent publishers are prioritised over large regional corporates, which currently have more than 80% of LDR contracts?

Local media plays a vital role in informing citizens, strengthening democratic accountability and fostering cohesive communities. We have provided funding of up to £12 million through our local media action plan, which aims to support a healthy and plural local media sector right across the country. It will help local newsrooms innovate and adopt sustainable business models for the digital age, while encouraging the production of high-quality and trustworthy journalism on which communities can rely, particularly at a time when misinformation and disinformation pose growing challenges.

My Lords, the Social Market Foundation report shows that misinformation flourishes particularly where conventional news has withdrawn from the market. Could the Minister consider ways in which schools might be encouraged to get their older students involved in producing local newspapers? For instance, covering local council meetings would be a fantastic education in politics and civil affairs.

Absolutely. Media literacy is essential for helping children, young adults and adults to identify, question and challenge misinformation online. My 19 year-old daughter and her friends are constantly online and, luckily for them, they really are now able to differentiate between correct information and misinformation. In March, DSIT published its three-year media literacy action plan to strengthen critical thinking and online resilience across society. In February this year, we launched a pilot campaign and the Kids Online Safety website to support parents and carers. Alongside this, the Government are committed to strengthening media literacy in the updated national curriculum, following the independent curriculum assessment review.

My Lords, it is not just about elections; social media exposes under-16s to relentless misinformation. It distorts their understanding of reality, fuels anxiety and fear, and normalises hateful or dangerous ideas. My noble friend Lord Bailey mentioned health misinformation. A ban would give children vital protection during a key developmental stage and support parents and schools in teaching critical thinking first. Yet another country, Canada, has recognised the seismic problem today. Why are the Government taking so long to act?

I am sure the noble Earl is very much aware of what the Government are doing. We have said that we will collate information and make a decision on banning social media. I am sure he will know that we are putting that in place, and further progress will be made very soon. Let me be absolutely clear: we have to make a distinction between misinformation and disinformation, and sometimes there is interchangeability between the two descriptions. We have to be absolutely sure about this. Sometimes, we may not like what is published, but it is not disinformation. We have to ensure that we get the category right.

My Lords, I declare an interest as a trustee of the charity Full Fact, which produced an annual report this week entitled A System Under Strain: Strengthening the UK’s Democratic Information Environment. Would my noble friend the Minister agree that the UK needs to treat the information environment as critical democratic infrastructure? Would he further agree that this requires clearer institutional co-ordination, stronger accountability for platforms and AI systems, better visibility for high-quality public interest information, and investment in public resilience?

Those who knowingly peddle misinformation and disinformation erode trust, poison public debate and undermine the very fabric of a decent democratic society. They are no friends of free speech or accountability. Deliberately spreading falsehood for political, financial or malicious gain weakens confidence in our institutions and fuels division and hostility. That is why this Government are determined to strengthen democratic resilience, uphold truth and transparency, and take robust action against unlawful online harm.

My Lords, once people get into the rabbit hole of disinformation or misinformation, the algorithms keep contributing to and multiplying the problem. Is it an option to look at the Government legislating that, every so often, the large tech companies have to press an “algorithm set to zero” button, which would mean that people are exposed to other information?

My Lords, algorithms can amplify sensational or misleading content at speed and scale, often without any transparency or accountability, as the noble Lord said. That is why the Government, through the Protecting What Matters strategy, are exploring measures to give users greater control over algorithmic recommendations and online content feeds. The Online Safety Act imposes duties on platforms to assess and mitigate risks arising from systems and processes. Technology must serve the public interest, not undermine democratic and social norms.