No evidence of dumbing down in British TV news

BRITISH television news has refused to “dumb down” over the past decade, according to a new study.

Analysis of the main bulletins on BBC1, ITV, Channel 4 and Five found “no evidence” of a major shift towards a more tabloid agenda.

Researchers at Westminster University watched more than 350 news programmes broadcast between 2004 and 2009 and analysed 5,458 individual stories.

They said every evening news bulletin had maintained a mainly serious agenda despite industry upheavals, commercial pressure and changing audiences.

Their study found the two main BBC news bulletins had shown no significant change over the past 35 years.

Channel 4’s bulletins were the only ones said to have seen a rise in “tabloid content”, although it remained low, at just 20 per cent of each broadcast.

The report concludes: “Television remains the most important and trusted source of national and international news for the vast majority of people in Britain, and will continue to play a central role in the informational needs of British citizens.”

Professor Steven Barnett, a professor of communications at the university, said: “Our findings suggest that, so far at least, television news is coping well.

“This study is a reminder of how positive regulation and a mixed funding system can underscore television journalism’s continuing contribution to British public life.”