Culture secretary Jeremy Wright calls on broadcasters to stem the tide of Russian propaganda
Culture secretary Jeremy Wright will today call on British broadcasters to do more to combat the spread of disinformation and Russian propaganda spread by state-funded station RT.
In a speech to the TV industry later today, Wright will urge broadcasters like the BBC and Channel 4 to do more to gain public trust in the wider battle against 'fake news' through "high quality journalism and reporting".
In return, he will offer more support to public service broadcasters as they struggle to operate in a market dominated by the likes of streaming titans like Netflix and Amazon.
Wright will describe the Kremlin-funded news network as "a major concern" as he says he will await the findings of Ofcom's 10 investigations into the station's impartiality "with great interest".
Read more: Skripals suspects visited Salisbury for its 'famous cathedral'
"Following the Salisbury incident, Russia has begun a blatant disinformation campaign with misleading procedural questions and over 40 different official narratives – all false," he will say. "Many of these were carried and promoted on Kremlin-backed media.
"High quality journalism is the best possible weapon in our battle against disinformation, so the sustainability of our media is something that should concern us all.
"A strong media means a strong democracy and a strong nation," he will conclude. "And we cannot be complacent. Those sowing discord want to undermine this trust and the institutions upon which our liberal democracy relies. Trust is a precious commodity and bolstering it is vital to our future."
It comes days after the two suspects of the Salisbury poison attack said they were only visiting the Wiltshire city to see the cathedral in a televised interview with RT.