UK plans to prioritise trusted news could disadvantage creators, industry warns

The UK's plans to make trusted news more prominent on social media could unintentionally disadvantage creators, the Director General of the Influencer Marketing Trade Body has warned.

Speaking at CreatorFest London, Scott Guthrie challenged proposals in the UK government's “Watch This Space” media consultation that would require social media companies and video-sharing platforms to make news from public service media and other "trustworthy providers" easier to find.

"If you are promoting one, by definition you're demoting something else," Guthrie said.

He argued the proposals risk reinforcing the idea that creator content is inherently less trustworthy than traditional media.

Guthrie pointed to The News Agents podcast hosts Emily Maitlis, Jon Sopel and Lewis Goodall, former BBC journalists who now publish independently, questioning whether content should be judged by where it is published rather than who produces it.

"The press release talked about trust and trustworthiness in relation to traditional media 11 times," he said. "The inference being that creator content isn't as trustworthy, and I don't think that necessarily is true."

The proposals, published in June and currently under consultation until 31 August, form part of the government's plans to tackle misinformation as more people consume news through social media. Ministers are considering whether platforms should give greater prominence to news from public service broadcasters, including the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5, alongside other trusted providers.

Science creator Dr Simon Clark, who appeared alongside Guthrie on the panel, said giving one category of content preferential treatment risked reducing the diversity of voices available online.

"I don't think it's appropriate to have a body that says this is good, this is not," he said. "If you do that, you're further disadvantaging a really valuable part of the creator space, which is the diversity of voices."

Former technology minister Lord Ed Vaizey, who co-chairs the Digital Creators All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG), said the proposals reflected policymakers' efforts to ensure British public service broadcasters remained visible as audiences increasingly watched content online rather than through traditional television.

"The politicians are struggling with how do you give the BBC a fighting chance for eyeballs in a digital age," he said.

The APPG has become an increasingly active voice on creator economy policy over the past year. Earlier this summer it urged the UK government to distinguish educational creator content from social media platforms when considering restrictions on under-16s, arguing creator-led educational video should not be regulated in the same way as social networking services.

Meanwhile, Guthrie revealed the APPG will launch a separate growth inquiry this autumn examining barriers facing creator businesses, including access to finance, business recognition and cultural exports.

*The Creator Economy Grows Up: Policy, Progress, and the Path Ahead, CreatorFest London, 15 July 2026.