Media plurality is once again under the policy spotlight, prompted by recent revelations about press behaviour and concerns arising from the proposed (and then dropped) acquisition of BSkyB by News Corporation. The Leveson Inquiry 1 has been tasked with making specific recommendations in relation to plurality and media ownership regulation. In parallel, Ofcom, the media regulator, has recently published its report on measuring plurality. In particular, in its discussion of online, Ofcom notes the potential for new gatekeepers to emerge which could have implications for plurality. 2 This report, supported by the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust, is intended as an input to these ongoing deliberations, and in particular examines the role of powerful new digital intermediaries such as search engines, social networks, and app stores. They play a key role in enabling users to access an increasing range of news sources in the online world, but they may themselves, through their control of pathways to content and payment mechanisms, become as significant a threat to plurality in future as old-world media mergers appear to us today. This report examines the nature and scope of their activities and their implications for plurality -both good and bad -in a fast-changing digital world.It is based on research carried out in April, May, and June of 2012, including a review of existing literature, submissions to the Ofcom consultation, and evidence presented to the Leveson Inquiry. It also draws on new consumer research into patterns of news consumption carried out for the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism (RISJ). 3 To provide general background to the work, the author held informal discussions with a number of practitioners from news organisations and digital intermediaries in the UK. They all spoke in a personal capacity and are not directly quoted in this report. A small expert reference group provided comments and guidance.Thanks are due to all who cooperated in the interview programme, and to the reference group who reviewed an early draft:
