Speeches by Platt.

“Where there has been support for this in our evidence sessions, there has also been a little bit of kickback, because misinformation and disinformation are hard to define. Is there some work to do to create a legal definition, if you like, of those terms?”

“So the regulatory barriers are being looked into.”

“Historic buildings are a huge part of our national identity, yet restoration is harder than demolition. As the former manager of Leigh Spinners Mill—I am not sure I have mentioned that in this House before—I have seen the barriers that regeneration projects face at first hand. Given that more than 600,000 potential hom…”

“How do you respond to the concern that the words misinformation and disinformation are themselves contested, and that a new purpose would and could create risks for the BBC?”

“I think Demos said that the BBC needs to be strengthened, perhaps in this place through law. Perhaps that is something for us to explore and consider as well.”

“It is chicken and egg, isn’t it?”

“This is the last question, you will be glad to hear. You have spoken about misinformation and disinformation throughout. As you said, they are very present in all our lives. Should the BBC have a new public purpose devoted to countering misinformation and disinformation?”

“That is interesting. So that collaboration obviously needs more exploration, in terms of how you do that.”

“Absolutely. Something that I question—one of my colleagues brought it up before—is the trust that the public have in you, which as we know is low. The YouGov survey from last year said that 51% from both left and right—it does not matter where—do not trust the BBC and what they say. When you are trying to counter misin…”

“I was pleased to see that the Government included a consultation question about public purpose to support economic growth. As someone who was born in Salford, in the very place where Media City is now, I see huge economic benefits in the regeneration project that that has created, but that is not so in terms of creativ…”

“Matt, to what extent do you value what the BBC does locally, for instance through local radio?”

“Going back a little to the evaluation, you have given me the stats and you have a really nice glossy document—”

“Absolutely, but how else are you measuring what you are doing for audiences? I know—going back to trust issues—that people do trust their local news or their local radio station. How are you measuring that in order to know what you need to do more of?”

“Fascinating. As politicians, we speak to a lot of people, and sometimes you can guess what algorithms our constituents are on based on the feedback we get. Should the BBC be doing more to reach younger people with news and information? And if so, what?”

“You have mentioned some of the benefits that AI could have for journalism. Is there anything else from which the BBC could harness the benefits?”

“My last question, as we are short of time, is on the Government’s proposal to ensure that PSM news content is given prominence on social media platforms, which Stewart mentioned. Do you have anything else to add?”

“Stewart, do you have anything to add?”

“I want to drill down into the challenges of digital media. The new Reuters Institute report suggests that consumers, especially the under-30s, are increasingly getting their news from social media platforms. Does the BBC have a particular role to play in delivering news and information in a more polarised world? Jessic…”

“I want to drill down into the challenges of digital media. The new Reuters Institute report suggests that consumers, especially the under-30s, are increasingly getting their news from social media platforms. Does the BBC have a particular role to play in delivering news and information in a more polarised world? Jessic…”

“You have mentioned some of the benefits that AI could have for journalism. Is there anything else from which the BBC could harness the benefits?”