Ian Murray MP’s new role as UK Minister for Media offers a chance to build a public purpose media framework linking science, technology, business, health, and local democracy. Decentered Media supports his focus on civic-led innovation, Ofcom reform, and investment in independent, community-driven communication systems that rebuild trust from the middle.
Ian Murray MP’s appointment as Minister for Media offers a pivotal opportunity to reshape how we think about communication as a public good. His early focus on the creative industries and community engagement reflects a broader recognition that media policy cannot be siloed. It must be integrated across the full landscape of Science, Technology, Innovation, Business, Communities, Health and Wellbeing, and Local Democracy. Media, at its most effective, is not an isolated sector—it is a connective infrastructure through which the UK can advance its social, civic, and economic priorities.
This means developing a coherent framework for public purpose media: independent, accountable, and rooted in the public interest. It requires investment in independent civic society models that support diversity of supply, foster innovation, and build the capacity for self-determination—enabling communities to generate trustworthy information and counter both misinformation and the influence of malign foreign agencies.
Public purpose media should not be seen as an adjunct to broadcasting, but as part of the nation’s strategic communications infrastructure. It complements public service broadcasting and local journalism by creating pathways for civic dialogue and informed participation. With the right policy support, this approach could help to rebuild media literacy, strengthen democratic trust, and renew the social contract between citizens, institutions, and the state.
For this to succeed, regulation must evolve alongside innovation. Ian Murray has an opportunity to challenge Ofcom to improve its consultation and engagement processes, ensuring they are genuinely representative, transparent, and participative. The current concentration of regulatory power is ill-suited to the complexity of today’s media environment. A more effective model would separate Ofcom’s functions—distinguishing content oversight, platform and systems governance, and economic regulation—so that each can operate with appropriate independence and clarity of purpose.
Decentered Media supports this direction. Our view is that reform must emerge from open, civic dialogue, not just reports from policy think-tanks or position statements from activist groups. These matters are not private; they belong in the public realm where citizens, practitioners, and policymakers can engage directly about the kind of media landscape we wish to sustain.
The challenge before us is to align media reform with the wider strands of UK policy change—to make communication a cross-sectoral tool for renewal. Ian Murray’s leadership could mark the beginning of a new era in which public purpose media becomes central to the UK’s democratic, social, and technological development. If we are to rebuild trust from the middle, it will be through open collaboration, civic responsibility, and the recognition that communication itself is the foundation of our shared public life.