Rejected petition Require Wales based news outlets to publish clear, accurate headlines and thumbnails.
I urge the Welsh Government to introduce regulations requiring UK news organisations to use clear, accurate headlines and clickbait-free thumbnails that fairly reflect article content. Misleading titles and images can distort information, erode public trust and contribute to misinformation. Such rules would promote transparency and responsible journalism while preserving press freedom and helping the public with accurate information.
More details
Online news increasingly competes for attention through sensational headlines and thumbnails that may exaggerate, omit important context or imply claims that the article itself does not support. This can encourage readers to form opinions before reading the full article and can undermine trust in legitimate journalism.
The proposed requirement would not prevent organisations from expressing opinions, reporting controversial subjects or using attention-grabbing headlines. Instead, headlines and thumbnails should accurately represent the substance of the accompanying article and avoid deliberately misleading impressions.
The aim is to establish a clear standard of transparency and accuracy across UK news organisations, particularly where headlines and thumbnails are designed primarily to generate clicks rather than inform readers.
Why was this petition rejected?
It’s about something that the Senedd or Welsh Government is not responsible for.
The Government of Wales Act 2006 establishes the extent of the Senedd’s power to make new laws and amend existing law (also known as legislative competence). Schedules 7A and 7B of the 2006 Act set out the issues which are ‘restricted’ or ‘reserved’ - i.e. areas where the UK Parliament, not the Senedd, can legislate.
“Broadcasting and other media” (which includes media / press regulation) is reserved under paragraph 158 of Schedule 7A to the 2006 Act. As a result, it is not possible for the Senedd to take the action called for by your petition.
Further information about the powers and responsibilities of the Senedd can be found here: https://senedd.wales/how-we-work/our-role/powers/
You may wish to consider petitioning the UK Parliament about this issue instead: https://petition.parliament.uk/
We only reject petitions that don’t meet the petition standards
Rejected petitions are published in the language in which they were submitted