Industry leaders have demanded a “robust and comprehensive” exemption for news media publishers and their content from the new regulatory framework aimed at technology giants.

The News Media Association has warned the planned framework, designed to crackdown on online harms, poses “profound dangers to press freedom” because, as currently drafted, national and local news publishers would fall within the scope of the new regime.

Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright, pictured, has previously told the Society of Editors that “journalistic or editorial content will not be affected by the regulatory framework”, but the NMA believes complete exemption would need to be written into the legislation in order to fulfil such assurances.

Under the framework, user generated content on publishers’ websites would trigger the application of a new statutory duty of care bringing news media publishers under direct control of the new regulator.

In a statement, the NMA said: “In order to prevent new fetters upon the press and freedom of expression, exemptions are vital.

“In the absence of exemptions, the White Paper would establish wholly unnecessary, disproportionate, legally uncertain restrictions upon press freedom, which would undermine rather than sustain news publishers’ provision of high quality, trusted journalism to the ever-growing audience which demands it.”

SOE executive director Ian Murray added: “While we accept that the present government is sincere in its wish to protect a free, vibrant and plural media in the UK, the proposed law to restrict online harms runs the risk of creating the unintended consequence of a means for a regime hostile to the press to attack its vital online presence.

“We are calling for irreversible clauses in the proposed law that exempt the media from this legislation, but also for steps to be taken to ensure freedom of expression is not harmed in a wider sense.

“No one wants to see online content that supports terrorism, abuse, gang violence and self-harm, but a careful line needs to be drawn between clamping down on unlawful and dangerous content and allowing open debate on important issues.

“The Society is particularly concerned where the proposed law attempts to prevent disinformation and fake news. Who will decide what is disinformation? It does not take too much imagination to see the eventual creation of some sort of Orwellian ‘Department of Truth’ emerging from a badly-thought through piece of legislation, no matter how well meaning.”