Tartan enforcers target BBC bias

Published on Saturday 12 July 2008 19:43

THE BBC will unveil plans this week to 'Tartan-proof' its flagship news programmes in a bid to ensure Scottish viewers no longer get enraged by being fed stories which are only of interest to the English.

A special 'enforcer' is to be hired in its London studios to ensure that inaccuracies or English bias about Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are no longer allowed to go on air.

It comes after a damning report into the corporation by Professor Anthony King concluded that the BBC was "London-centric" in the way it viewed the rest of the country, and had failed properly to come to terms with the reality of the post-devolution era.

Research by Cardiff University for the report found that Westminster stories outnumber those about the devolved parliaments by a factor of 17 to one.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland generally only made the news on issues of sport or crime. The research also found that reporters held "an assumption that England can safely stand in for Britain or the UK".

BBC director-general Mark Thompson is to reveal a new management plan this week which will seek to counter the findings of the report, which was commissioned by the BBC Trust, the independent body that oversees the corporation.

It follows Scottish MPs' demanding that BBC Scotland be handed far more production time than it is currently given. Some are suggesting that BBC Scotland should, for example, set up a new Scottish breakfast programme which cuts into the main UK edition.

Thompson's report is expected to order BBC journalists in London to be far more accurate about which parts of the UK certain stories relate to, following evidence which found that many items about health and education were often billed as a "British story" but in fact only applied to England.

Meanwhile, a new troop of BBC journalists will be ordered out into the nations and regions to reflect how different policies are impacting on people in different parts of the country. Editors based in London who have not lived or worked outside the capital will be ordered to work in regional offices.

Meanwhile, the 'enforcer' will be back at the BBC newsroom to ensure "accurate reporting of devolved issues".

BBC bosses will say the moves herald a new type of programme which better reflects the diversity of the United Kingdom.

Thompson last week acknowledged the BBC's failure to report properly on Scottish issues, but he said that the Government also had to take some of the blame.

"This is seen as only a BBC problem but they (BBC journalists] have had to deal constantly with ministers speaking as if devolution has not taken place, offering messages as if they apply to everyone."

Labour MP Rosemary McKenna, who sits on Westminster's Culture, Media and Sport Committee, welcomed the new measures but said the BBC was still "complacent" about Scotland. "They are always going on about how they have built Pacific Quay, but when you look at what is going on in there, only 3% of the BBC's production comes out of there."

McKenna said that an opt-out Scottish Breakfast programme – much like the current Newsnight Scotland section – should be introduced.

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: "The Scottish Government believes in a strong, representative media.

"That is why the First Minister established the Scottish Broadcasting Commission last year to investigate the current state of broadcasting and define a strategic way forward."

She added: "The King Report shows that the BBC needs to make more efforts to better serve its viewers. The BBC Trust made a commitment to address this issue and we hope the action plan meets the expectations of viewers in Scotland."

The joint Broadcasting Commission & Scottish Government Public Attitudes to Television research report found that people in Scotland are not clear about whether UK news reports apply to Scotland.