BBC Urged To Improve Range Of Network News Coverage

The BBC has been told that it needs to improve the range, clarity and precision of its network news coverage to cover what is happening in the different UK nations and regions.

The review, conducted for the BBC Trust, was commissioned following complaints that too many news stories covered by the BBC were only relevant to England.

Research conducted by market research analysts BMRB found that 37% of people believed that BBC reports were often not relevant to where they lived.

The research also found that 82% of the UK population were interested in news about other parts of the UK, while 62% thought it was important to understand the different politics and policies within each nation.

The report also highlights the major changes in the governance of the UK since devolution of power from Westminster began ten years ago and the complexities this has created for reporting public policy.

Analysis of BBC network news and current affairs programmes over a four-week period in 2007 by Cardiff University also found that 19% of stories involving or relating to devolution to be vague and confusing, while all 136 stories about health and education dealt with England alone.

Sir Michael Lyons, Chairman of the BBC Trust said: "The BBC's reporting of the United Kingdom is - on the face of it - much better than what is provided by other broadcasters. But the resounding message from this review is the BBC is falling short of its own high standards and is not meeting properly its core purpose of helping to inform democracy.

"The problem is not about impartiality, but about clarity, precision and the balance of reporting from around the UK. The good news is that the public have told us that they want to learn about other parts of the UK. This should inspire the BBC to meet this challenge and search for opportunities to make what is happening in different parts of the UK relevant and interesting to all audiences.

"From now on, those watching or listening to BBC News should consistently be able to learn not just what's happening, but whether it's unique to where they live, and how it compares to what might be happening elsewhere in the UK."

The BBC management issued a statement in response to the report, which said: "We recognise that the BBC must remain in step with the changing face of the UK, and that our UK-wide journalism must deliver a range of perspectives and richness of coverage that reflects the diversity of the nations and regions of the UK.

"While there have been improvements in performance and the report states that BBC News upholds high standards of impartiality and fairness in its reporting of politics and policy in all four nations of the UK, we accept that we can and must do better.

"In our initial response to the Trust's conclusions, we have published a set of proposals that we will undertake to meet the high standards required in this area.

"While the report does find that the BBC's reporting of the UK is seen as consistently superior to that of other broadcast outlets, we recognise the need to raise our game further.”

(KMcA/JM)