London, UK – Channel 4 chief executive Alex Mahon has raised concerns about the UK media industry’s future, warning that it must take urgent action to prevent becoming an “American news swamp”, where unverified content dominates and younger audiences rely on social media for information.
Speaking at a Royal Television Society event titled Gen Z: Trends, Truth, and Trust, Mahon highlighted the growing trend of young people consuming news through unregulated platforms, stressing that the UK must find a “British solution” before foreign market forces reshape its media landscape.
The Challenge: Social Media as a Primary News Source
Mahon pointed to the increasing number of Gen Z consumers who rely on social media for news, rather than traditional platforms like TV or print.
“A third of the UK public say they believe conspiracy theories about Covid-19, mainstream media, and government efforts to control people.”
She added that the percentage of young people who get their news from print or television was now “effectively zero”, making it critical for public service broadcasters to adapt their strategies.
‘We Must Adapt or Lose Trust’
Mahon outlined a strategy for modernizing news delivery, urging UK media to:
- Move from text to video to align with social media consumption habits.
- Make news rapid, digestible, and entertaining to engage younger audiences.
- Deliver news on platforms where young people are active, rather than expecting them to visit traditional news sources.
- Maintain impartiality despite the trend toward opinion-driven content online.
“We need to move from our networks to theirs and always be entertaining and accessible while working to retain impartiality.”
The ‘Ludicrous Juxtaposition’ of UK Media Regulation
Mahon criticized the current regulatory framework, describing it as outdated and ineffective in today’s digital age.
“In the UK, media exists under a patchwork quilt of regulation, which is looking increasingly frayed and anachronistic.”
She argued that legacy requirements, such as mandatory lunchtime news bulletins, no longer hold value, yet no new policies incentivize modern news delivery.
A Call for Action: Regulation and Industry Cooperation
To combat misinformation and ensure younger audiences have access to verified, independent news, Mahon called for:
- Stronger regulations to ensure social media companies take responsibility for news content.
- Collaboration between broadcasters and digital platforms to promote factual content.
- Policy incentives for modern, digital-first news distribution.
She warned that without proactive change, external forces—potentially from the US—could reshape the UK media landscape in ways that may not benefit British audiences.
“If we don’t act now, an international market force will impose on us some other reality that we can regret at our leisure.”
Conclusion
Mahon’s speech underscores a growing concern within UK media: how to maintain trust and relevance in an era dominated by social media and misinformation. Whether regulators and broadcasters will take action remains to be seen, but her message is clear—the future of British news depends on it.
