The BBC is letting down viewers from lower-income households who feel “caricatured” by its coverage and could switch to alternatives like GB News, a House of Lords report has found.
Peers also feared the creation of a “two-tier” media environment, divided between “news enthusiasts”, who subscribe to quality, mainstream news outlets and a “growing proportion” of news avoiders, who see very little professionally produced news and are vulnerable to fake news and conspiracy theories spread by social media.
The investigation into the future of news by the Communications and Digital Committee, published today warned of a “grim” future in which the decline of local and regional papers creates “news deserts”.
The committee called for “decisive” Government action to support national and local news providers facing threats including AI.
Its warnings about the BBC’s future will carry particular weight, since the committee’s members include former BBC Director-General Tony Hall.
Ministers have two months to respond to the report which said the BBC has a vital role to play in the delivery of trusted and authoritative news. However, the broadcaster “must address its shortcomings, around serving all audiences and concerns about due impartiality”.
It quoted research which “suggests that lower socio-economic groups feel ‘criticised or caricatured’ rather than authentically reflected” by the BBC.
“New entrants like GB News provide an alternative to the public service broadcasters. Public service broadcasters should reflect on why alternative providers are finding a following and how this relates to the way underserved communities are represented in their own news coverage.”
BBC News reached nearly 9.6 million viewers in October (49 million for all BBC broadcasting), compared to 3.5 million for GB News, according to industry figures.
The committee said the BBC’s “ability to maintain high levels of audience engagement, trust and satisfaction matters”.
“Declining support would mean fewer licence fee payers, fewer justifications for its privileges and probably a deterioration of the BBC’s ‘anchor’ position in the UK media market.”
A recent internal review found the BBC fails to report fully on immigration because journalists fear being considered “racist or woke”. Journalists were “anxious” about tackling topics that could appear hostile to migrants, including airing concerns from locals in communities with immigrants.
James Frayne, founding partner of political consultancy Public First, said its research found there had been “a very marked decline [in trust in the BBC] over the course of the past 10 to 15 years among older, Brexit-voting, working class, provincial leave voters.”
The Lords report noted that GB News had been found in breach of the broadcasting code by Ofcom on 12 occasions and is currently appealing against a £100,000 fine for impartiality failings.
“Their offering needs to comply with the spirit of the rules, not stretch them to breaking point,” said the authors, who also called on Ofcom to be more transparent over its application of rules which can allow politicians to present shows on the channel.
Baroness Stowell, the committee chair, told i: “The BBC has to serve all audiences. We are seeing growing dissatisfaction among a certain demographic. We don’t want to be too alarmist but it is something which should be taken seriously.”
The former BBC executive added: “We’ve got a broadcaster funded by the licence fee which acts as the glue for public service broadcasting. We need the BBC to be doing all it can to make sure it is providing a service everyone can have confidence in.
“Some traditional media outlets must work harder to keep up with the priorities and reflect the perspectives of large sections of their audience. People are voting with their feet and going elsewhere.
“Because of their ‘anchor’ role in the media, public service broadcasters, and the BBC in particular, need to reflect on this and focus on meeting audiences’ needs and expectations,” she added.
The BBC insisted that it reaches more adults from low socio-economic groups than any other provider. It cited Ipsos research which showed the BBC is the most used brand for media among social class DE audiences, with 85 per cent using BBC services on average per week.
The report delivered a stark warning of the failure to tackle the challenges facing a changing news environment. “There is a realistic possibility of the UK’s news environment fracturing irreparably along social, regional and economic lines within the next 5–10 years,” it concluded. “The implications for our society and democracy would be grim.”
Baroness Stowell said: “There is a danger of a two-tier news environment developing, where news enthusiasts will have access to excellent content, while a growing proportion of people rely on whatever they can pick up on social media, or switch off altogether.”
“We are especially concerned by news deserts, where local newspapers have folded and people are left without any real scrutiny of local politicians and public bodies.”
Among the Lords’ recommendations to prevent a two-tier news divide was a call to support local media by introducing tax breaks for hiring local reporters and expanding the Local Democracy Reporting Service, funded by the BBC, which has created 165 new jobs.
A BBC spokesperson said: “BBC News is committed to providing independent and impartial news for all audiences across the UK and as the most widely used and trusted news provider, we take this responsibility very seriously.
“We recognise the challenges of disinformation and the importance of reaching all audience groups which is why we have launched BBC Verify and Your Voice, Your BBC News – which asks our audience about what really matters to them – to address these issues.”
How to prevent ‘two-tier’ news divide – Lords recommendations
Support local media – Tax breaks for hiring local reporters, journalist training schemes and expanded Local Democracy Reporting Service.
Champion responsible AI – New legislation should include transparency measures to let rightsholders check if their material has been used to train AI, alongside new sanctions for rule-breaking.
Take competition seriously – The Competition and Markets Authority should investigate allegations of anti-competitive practices by big tech firms. Ofcom’s rules on media plurality should be updated to take account of AI firms’ growing influence in creating news through generative AI summaries.
Remain proportionate on mis/disinformation – Measures to tackle disinformation should not undermine confidence in free speech or fuel public distrust. The Committee wants more muscular deterrence against foreign adversaries.
