Chapter 6: Serving audiences
129.This chapter examines some of the challenges around serving all audiences with honest, accurate, informative and balanced news. First we set out the context of trust in news, online fragmentation, declining engagement and concern about the direction of travel.
130.We then examine three issues concerning the health of the UK broadcasting market in particular: the work of incumbent broadcasters serving a diverse range of audiences; new market entrants complying with the Broadcasting Code; and Ofcom enforcing its rules robustly in a way that upholds public trust. We found room for improvement in all of these areas for the regulated broadcast sector to maintain its ‘anchor’ position in the media market and continue to support a cohesive society.
A difficult landscape
131.The data on UK attitudes to news are mixed. James Frayne, Founding Partner of the political consultancy Public First, argued that “most people trust … the BBC and their newspapers, but it has diminished significantly”.258 Around 96 per cent of UK adults say they watch, read or listen to news in some form. This suggests relatively strong demand for information. The sources of information are varied—over half of adults say social media is their main news source, though it remains unclear what this involves: authoritative news links, influencer commentary and organic user posts are all captured in this figure.259 The impacts of algorithmically curated news diets remain an ongoing area of research.260
132.Yet separate data from the Reuters Institute show that, between 2015 and 2024, the overall proportion of people in the UK saying they trust “most news most of the time” fell from 51 to 36 per cent. The proportion of people extremely or very interested in news fell from 70 to 38 per cent over the same period.261 The causes and consequences of these trends are myriad and linked to some of the factors discussed in Chapter 4.
133.We asked witnesses about the relationship between demand, engagement and trust. Paul Lee, Global Head of Research for Technology, Media and Telecommunications at Deloitte, cautioned against conflating the provenance of news (e.g. the BBC) with the level of trust in the distribution mechanism (e.g. Facebook feeds).262 Douglas McCabe of Enders Analysis thought that headline figures on low trust were not overly troubling and reflected a plural media market and healthy consumer scepticism.263 Mr Frayne identified young people and new arrivals to the UK as groups where “trust in the mainstream media has never really been established”, but suggested that a “collapse” in trust among other groups “ought to be a worry”.264 Professor Charlie Beckett thought the area of concern centred on where this issue “spills over into fragmentation and cynicism and a complete avoidance of the news media”. He further drew attention to the way online distribution and consumption were reshaping the traditional relationship between media outlets and their audiences:
“You have to be on their side, be more relevant to them and be more accessible. You have to talk about the things that they are interested in rather than things that are important to you.”265
134.Associated issues around competition for attention, the proliferation of platforms and the rise of opinion-led online commentary and influencer culture all raise difficulties for traditional media outlets seeking to engage audiences while maintaining balanced and reliable reporting.266 The disaggregation of news packages into individual articles, short-form clips or online commentary tends to remove context and detail which might provide more balance.267 Anna Bateson, CEO of The Guardian Media Group, thought it was getting harder to achieve “that sense of commonality around truth”.268
135.James Bennet, senior editor at The Economist, raised further concerns about social media becoming a “powerful means of enforcing orthodoxy”, telling us that:
“the intensity with which people respond to a particular piece of news or a particular opinion piece has a profoundly inhibiting effect on the ambitions of a news organisation to be impartial, or to be objective, or to present a range of views”.269
136.During our visit to San Francisco we heard that some news outlets were increasingly preoccupied with younger audiences and their preference for “authentic” content rather than “authoritative” sources: relatable online influencers that share (and shape) the viewer’s values fall into the first category, whereas establishment titles tend not to. We were told that some US publishers are considering borrowing from influencer culture to attract customers. This might bring a fresh approach to engaging (younger) audiences. It may also bring difficulties around alignment of principles and retaining audiences when the star moves on.270 Whether younger consumers will drive additional changes in the tools that media and tech companies employ—and possibly shape the underlying political slant of content prioritised in personalised generative search—is a further unknown.
137.In some respects these developments continue longstanding trends: consumers have always shaped supplier behaviours, chosen preferred titles and presenters, and switched when dissatisfied. In other ways the implications are more concerning. News UK noted that the traditional role of news in “convening society” is becoming inverted, as users consume disparate stories and follow opinion-shapers on personalised newsfeeds.271
138.Mr Bennet thought that the UK’s media landscape still offered “a nice combination of a reliable narrative about what is actually happening in the world, and a cacophony of views that surround that”.272 He issued a stark warning however about the implications if the UK were to follow the US trajectory, where he said audiences find “their own version of reality.”273 Mr Neil issued similar warnings: “I would not like to see Britain go down that road. It is bad for democracy”.274
139.The charts below provide an indication that UK voters’ trust in and consumption of news media has not yet fractured along party-political lines. We note that the shifts in the UK’s political environment are complex and not necessarily well captured by headline statements on party affiliation. But the figures nevertheless provide one suggestion of how the UK compares to the US. Figure 3 shows that in many cases the level of party-political trust/distrust (indicated by the length of the vertical bar) is fairly modest. Figure 4 shows by contrast that the difference in the US is extensive and widespread.
140.The regulation of the UK’s broadcasting sector has likely played a role in guarding against partisan splits. Some stakeholders worried however that many audiences (particularly those who feel insufficiently represented by traditional media) will increasingly shift to online alternatives.275 Mr Neil argued that the UK was not yet comparable to the US but believed one risk factor was the “monopoly of opinion” among British broadcasters, cautioning that an “increasing number of people [ … ] will feel that they are not getting the kind of news that they expect” and consequently turn to alternative sources.276
Figure 3: UK news outlets consumption and trust
Source: Written evidence from the BBC (FON0069). Original analysis obtained from ‘Britain is not America - and the right shouldn’t forget it’, Financial Times (26 May 2024), available at: https://www.ft.com/content/a2050877–124a-472d-925a-fc794737d814 [accessed 15 November 2024]
Figure 4: US news outlets consumption and trust
Source: Written evidence from the BBC (FON0069). Original analysis obtained from ‘Britain is not America - and the right shouldn’t forget it’, Financial Times (26 May 2024), available at: https://www.ft.com/content/a2050877–124a-472d-925a-fc794737d814 [accessed 15 November 2024]
Broadcast media
BBC
141.The BBC plays an important part in the delivery of trusted and authoritative news. Its 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.277
142.We found mixed progress since our last report in 2022. On some metrics it is doing well: the BBC remains by far the most used news source, though the overall proportion of people turning to the BBC as their first choice appears to be in gradual decline.278 It has also launched a range of initiatives addressing concerns about its approach.279
143.Shortcomings persist in serving less satisfied audiences though.280 Qualitative research suggests that lower socio-economic groups feel “criticised or caricatured” rather than authentically reflected.281 Figure 5 demonstrates audience perceptions of the BBC, as calculated by a National Audit Office study. Mr Frayne said that there had been “a very marked decline [in trust] over the course of the past 10 to 15 years among older, Brexit-voting, working-class, provincial leave voters”.282 The BBC responded with data contesting this assessment.283
Figure 5: Audience perceptions of the BBC
Source: National Audit Office, BBC Departmental Overview (2023), p 18: https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/BBC-DO-2022–23.pdf [accessed 23 October 2024]
144.The BBC’s Chairman Dr Samir Shah CBE acknowledged challenges and highlighted the corporation’s “thematic reviews” as a good way to examine and improve problems with coverage.284 We welcomed these assessments, though noted that alone they will not solve the problem. Others have questioned their rigour.285 James Frayne thought that more focus on public concerns would help, noting the level of attention that GB News paid to small boat arrivals.286 Professor Charlie Beckett said that newsroom diversity would improve the variety of world views that shape editorial choices.287 Tim Davie CBE told us about efforts to move production out of London, though acknowledged that this did not guarantee more diverse intakes (a point also raised by Mr Neil).288
Other PSBs and Sky
145.ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 are meant to “meet the needs and satisfy the interests of as many different audiences as practicable”.289 While they each target different demographics, we were told that they confront ongoing challenges in delivering engaging, trusted content due to evolving audience expectations, habits and interests.290 Ofcom data indicate that the PSBs have delivered relatively well against their news provision requirements,291 yet viewing numbers continue to fall.292
146.Jonathan Levy, Managing Editor of Sky News said his organisation complemented the PSBs by being able to “take risks in the public service space” that PSBs do not.293 We note that Sky News ranks consistently highly on trust and satisfaction,294 but also faces challenges around competition, costs, audience habits, and perceptions of relevance.295
147.Dame Maggie Carver CBE, former chair of Ofcom and ITN said that investment in “a number of distinct, verified and impartial” British news sources online was important to “keep the BBC up to scratch” and provide a “broader overall range” of views.296 Professor Nielsen suggested that a key problem lay in demand rather than supply, noting that plenty of good journalism “is out there for free [but] people are not engaging it”. He argued it was “incumbent on journalists and news organisations to think why that might be”.297 Table 2 sets out the top UK news sources.
2019 |
2020 |
2022* |
2023 |
2024 |
|
|
BBC One |
58% |
56% |
53% |
49% |
43% |
|
ITV1/ITV WALES/UTV/STV |
40% |
41% |
35% |
34% |
30% |
|
|
35% |
34% |
32% |
30% |
30% |
|
BBC iPlayer** |
- |
- |
- |
24% |
23% |
|
YouTube |
6% |
6% |
8% |
7% |
19% |
|
Sky News Channel |
23% |
25% |
23% |
21% |
19% |
|
BBC News Channel |
23% |
21% |
24% |
23% |
18% |
|
BBC news online (website/app) |
25% |
23% |
23% |
22% |
18% |
|
|
13% |
14% |
16% |
16% |
18% |
|
X (formerly known as Twitter) |
16% |
17% |
17% |
17% |
15% |
|
|
14% |
13% |
14% |
13% |
14% |
|
Channel 4 |
17% |
18% |
17% |
16% |
14% |
|
Google (search engine) |
19% |
15% |
12% |
13% |
14% |
|
Daily Mail/Mail on Sunday |
18% |
17% |
15% |
14% |
13% |
|
Channel 4/Channel 4+** (All4/All4+) |
- |
- |
- |
8% |
12% |
|
ITV/ITVX Premium** |
- |
- |
- |
11% |
12% |
|
TikTok** |
- |
1% |
7% |
10% |
11% |
|
The Guardian/Observer |
11% |
10% |
10% |
10% |
10% |
|
BBC Radio 2 |
12% |
12% |
11% |
11% |
10% |
|
BBC Sounds** |
- |
- |
- |
- |
9% |
Source: Ofcom, News consumption in the UK 2024: Supporting data (2024) p 10: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/research-and-data/tv-radio-and-on-demand-research/tv-research/news/news-consumption-2024/news-consumption-in-the-uk-2024---supporting-data.pdf [accessed 23 October 2024]
New entrants
148.GB News and TalkTV have been described as alternatives to “mainstream” broadcasters.298 Angelos Frangopoulos, CEO of GB News, said his organisation offered “plurality and choice” to those who “genuinely did not feel that metropolitan-based media reflected or reported what was important to them. They were underrepresented.”299 Mr Nelson thought the newcomers brought more diversity.300 Regular consumers report high levels of trust, accuracy and impartiality.301
149.Others were more critical. Professor Steven Barnett said the new entrants were “avowedly partisan”, arguing that GB News displayed a “contempt for balance” with “barely a nod in the direction of competing views”.302 The Voice of the Listener and Viewer warned about the “‘Foxification’ of UK news.”303
150.Andrew Neil did not believe that the UK was yet comparable to the polarisation visible in US broadcasting, but he warned of this “trend and I think that people will react [ … and move to] things that are more congenial to their way of looking at things”. He suggested GB News’ long-term viability may rely more on financial backing than audience revenues.304
151.The CEO of GB News contended that the channel was defying expectations of failure, and said competitors were recognising that “there is a part of the United Kingdom that has not been served”.305 Professor Nielsen said that public service broadcasters needed to adapt, or would otherwise serve “a shrinking, older, privileged part of the public”.306 Figure 6 shows the range of TV channels used to access news in 2024.
Figure 6 : TV channels used to access news in 2024
Source: Ofcom, News consumption in the UK 2024: Supporting data (2024) p 20: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/research-and-data/tv-radio-and-on-demand-research/tv-research/news/news-consumption-2024/news-consumption-in-the-uk-2024---supporting-data.pdf [accessed 23 October 2024]
Two-tier system?
152.Ofcom has a duty to ensure that “all licensed broadcasters within the UK present their news in a duly accurate and duly impartial way”.307 Complaints to Ofcom have reportedly risen by 600 per cent since the launch of GB News and TalkTV.308 As of October 2024, the regulator found GB News in breach of its rules 12 times since it launched in 2021.309 Mr Frangopoulos said:
“The challenge is that we are doing something different. When the Communications Act was set up in 2003, the rules were set up for the “News at Ten” and the “Nine O’Clock News”. It is a different world now, and our programming is different, certainly from Section 5 [of Ofcom’s Broadcasting Code]. You can read it one way, or you can read it the other.”310
153.Stewart Purvis CBE and Chris Banatvala, former TV journalists and senior executives at Ofcom, suggested that the regulator was being overly reticent and creating a “two-tier impartiality system”.311 Professors Stephen Cushion and Richard Sambrook of Cardiff University were also critical, arguing that “free speech does not mean allowing conspiracy theories free reign”.312 Numerous others made similar arguments.313
154.Mr Frangopoulos argued in contrast that he was “confident” GB News had “a very comprehensive compliance regime”, noting that the broadcaster was “under a lot of pressure externally, particularly from those who may feel that we are not a positive contributor”. He argued that Ofcom investigations were too slow to allow innovative broadcasters to learn from mistakes and improve compliance.314 Others suggested that accounting for audience expectation was important in order to avoid homogeneity in news programmes and provide variety.315
155.We questioned Ofcom about its response. Cristina Nicolotti Squires, Head of Broadcasting at Ofcom, said “we have one set of rules that we apply fairly to all broadcasters”.316 She previously stated that “there are some people who won’t be happy unless we shut GB News down tomorrow and that’s not the kind of country we live in”.317
156.Dame Melanie told us that “there is a degree of flexibility, which is the right thing”.318 She had previously suggested in another forum that channels like BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and Sky News need to be “scrupulous” whereas “there are other channels … that can present the news from a particular perspective” as long as they present a “sufficient range of views”. Dame Melanie further argued that free speech was paramount.319 Mr McCabe suggested that Ofcom commit to “a deep study of trust at a more granular level that can be sustained over time”.320 This might also provide a more stable basis for evaluating audience expectations.
Politicians presenting
157.The use of politicians as presenters has attracted particular attention.321 In March 2024, Ofcom found GB News in breach of the Broadcasting Code on five occasions in relation to the use of politicians as presenters.322 News UK noted that other stations had also used politicians as presenters.323 Ofcom told us that its rules “say very clearly that politicians cannot present news”, but added that “they [politicians] can present current affairs, but, again, it is all about due impartiality”.324
158.Mr Neil found Ofcom’s approach “incredible” and recommended the regulator “find a backbone and quick”.325 Others expressed similar sentiments.326 Mr Purvis and Mr Banatvala argued that “Ofcom’s distinction between the two genres [news and current affairs] and hence the allowing [of] politicians to present programmes dealing with controversial matters is one that is self-created”.327 They suggested some channels were “taking advantage” of the way the Code was drafted.328
159.Dame Melanie argued in contrast that:
“It is a matter for Parliament as to whether politicians should or should not be allowed to do things. Our job is to uphold the due impartiality rules and assess whether or not a programme is meeting those rules … you may present current affairs programmes but the programme editor, the producer, needs to make sure and take special steps … that there is a sufficiently broad range of views when the discussion is about major matters of public policy. That is how the system is designed to work”.329
160.Ofcom’s research found that “nearly all participants were instinctively against politicians presenting the news”, noting “politicians would naturally have a viewpoint to promote”. Participants were comfortable with news having stricter rules than current affairs, but “struggled” to distinguish between the formats. They also noted that politicians might not be recognised easily.330
161.The UK’s broadcasting market will only thrive if there is healthy competition, a focus on serving all audiences and respect for the rules. New entrants like GB News provide an alternative to the public service broadcasters. Their offering needs to comply with the spirit of the rules, not stretch them to breaking point. Public service broadcasters, for their part, 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.
162.Ofcom’s senior leadership argued that its approach to impartiality had been very clear. We struggled to reconcile this with the evidence. Ofcom’s approach has sparked accusations of a two-tier system on the one hand, and of overreaction on the other. This risks dissatisfaction on all sides. We were reassured that Ofcom is aware of the challenges and the need to avoid the impression that political sensitivities have influenced regulatory enforcement. But more transparency in future would help, particularly around the thresholds at which alternative interpretations of the rules might apply. Ofcom must also remain alive to the risk that underserved audiences may migrate online or switch off altogether: healthy plurality in broadcasting therefore remains key to the sector’s long-term viability.
163.Better information is also needed about the drivers of audience trust in broadcast news. This is notoriously difficult and not helped by the inconsistency in methods. Ofcom should conduct more thorough longitudinal audience research with consistent metrics and more granular audience profiles, focusing both on the drivers of trust and confidence in due impartiality being upheld. This could include more detailed assessments of audience views about using politicians as presenters.
258 Q 22 (James Frayne)
259 Ofcom, News consumption in the UK: 2024, p 5
260 See for example Ofcom, Online news: research update (March 2024)
261 Reuters Institute for Study of Jounalism, Digital News Report 2024,p 62:
265 Q 22. Commentators in the aftermath of the 2024 US presidential election raised further questions about the way certain topics are covered. See for example Tim Shipman (@ShippersUnbound) Tweet on 6 November 2024: https://x.com/ShippersUnbound/status/1854238191248724113. For further discussion on journalists engaging with a wider variety of veiwpoints see also @ShippersUnbound, tweet on 6 November 2024: https://x.com/ShippersUnbound/status/1854238191248724113
270 Appendix on Committee visit to San Francisco
275 See for example written evidence from the Voice of the Listener and Viewer (FON0015) and Q 22 (James Frayne). For a discussion on the work of the PSBs in this regard see written evidence from Maggie Carter CBE DL (FON0070)
277 Q 136 (Robert Colvile). For a discussion on BBC strategic challenges see our report Licence to change: BBC future funding, p 3
278 National Audit Office, BBC Departmental Overview (2023), p 18): https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/BBC-DO-2022–23.pdf, [accessed 23 October 2024]
279 The BBC for the future’ strategy sets out plans to “report fearlessly and fairly” in domestic and international journalism. The BBC has been moving production out of London, expanding its social media presence to reach different demographics, updating social media guidance; launching transparency initiatives and holding thematic reviews of its content. See BBC, A BBC for the future (March 2024): https://www.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/documents/a-bbc-for-the-future.pdf [accessed 15 November 2024]
280 Ofcom’s 2023 report on the BBC found “viewers of other TV news sources, particularly the non-PSB channels (such as Sky News or CNN), tend to rate news on those channels higher for impartiality than viewers of BBC TV news. However, it is worth noting that BBC TV has a much higher, and broader, reach than these channels”. See Ofcom, Annual Report on the BBC 2022 – 23 (November 2023), p 11: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/tv-radio-and-on-demand/bbc/bbc-annual-report/2023/ofcoms-sixth-annual-report-on-the-bbc [accessed 14 June 2024]
281 Ofcom, BBC Audiences Review: Understanding what factors may drive lower satisfaction levels among D and E socio-economic groups (November 2023), p 22: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0016/272401/BBC-Audiences-Review.pdf [accessed 14 June 2024]
284 Oral evidence taken before the Communications and Digital Committee, session on the work of the BBC, 10 September 2024 (Session 2024–25), Q 9 (Dr Samir Shah CBE)
285 Written evidence from Professor Stephen Cushion and Emeritus Professor Richard Sambrook (FON0003)
288 Q 116 (Andrew Neil), Oral evidence taken before the Communications and Digital Committee, session on the work of the BBC, 10 September 2024 (Session 2024–25), Q 9 (Tim Davie CBE)
289 Communications Act 2003, section 264
291 Ofcom, Media Nations: UK 2024, p 13
292 Ibid., p 11
294 Ofcom, News consumption in the UK 2024: Supporting data, (September 2024), p 22: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/research-and-data/tv-radio-and-on-demand-research/tv-research/news/news-consumption-2024/news-consumption-in-the-uk-2024---supporting-data.pdf [accessed 13 November 2024]
295 See for example Q 116, Q 96, written evidence from News UK (FON0055), ITV (FON0019). See also Ofcom, Media Nations: UK 2024
298 Written evidence from News UK (FON0055). See also ‘Why Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage are obsessed with ‘Britain’s Fox News’’, POLITICO (2 February 2024): https://www.politico.eu/article/boris-johnson-nigel-farage-gb-news-fox/ [accessed 15 November 2024]
301 Ofcom, News consumption in the UK 2024: Supporting data, p 25
308 Data refers to a comparison of complaints between 2021 and April 2024. See ‘Ofcom complaints soar by 600% in age of GB News and TalkTV’, iNews (11 April 2024): https://inews.co.uk/news/ofcom-complaints-soar-by-600-in-age-of-gb-news-and-talktv-2999438 [accessed 15 November 2024]
309 ‘GB News fines GB News £100,000 over impartiality’, BBC News (31 October 2024): https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c7v3d44zj03o [accessed 19 November 2024]
312 Written evidence from Professor Stephen Cushion and Emeritus Professor Richard Sambrook (FON0003)
313 Written evidence from Media Reform Coalition (FON0029), Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom North (FON0040), Dr Steven Buckley (FON0001), Professor Steven Barnett (FON0052)
317 Philip Geddes Memorial Lecture 2024 (7 March 2024), added by St Edmund Hall: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5u_YXv9GOw [accessed 14 November 2024]; ‘Ofcom says it won’t shut down GB News, is unsure if Farage counts as a politician’ iNews (24 April 2024), available at: https://inews.co.uk/news/ofcom-says-it-wont-shut-down-gb-news-is-unsure-if-farage-counts-as-a-politician-3021317 [accessed 15 November 2024]
319 ‘GB News gets away with more than BBC as fewer people watch, suggests Ofcom boss’, iNews (4th March 2024), available at: https://inews.co.uk/news/media/gb-news-gets-away-more-bbc-ofcom-boss-2938731 [accessed 15 November 2024]
321 Q 160 (Cristina Nicolotti Squires). Rule 5.3 of the Broadcasting Code states that no politician may be used as a newsreader, interviewer or reporter in any news programmes unless, exceptionally, it is editorially justified. In that case, the political allegiance of that person must be made clear to the audience. See Broadcasting Code, section 5
322 Ofcom, Press Release: Politicians acting as news presenters on GB News broke broadcasting rules on 18 March 2024: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv-radio-and-on-demand/broadcast-standards/politicians-acting-as-news-presenters-on-gb-news-broke-broadcasting-rules/ [accessed 15 November 2024]
323 Written evidence from News UK (FON0055); ‘David Lammy leaves LBC ahead of election and is replaced by Lewis Goodall’, Press Gazette (29 April 2024): https://pressgazette.co.uk/the-wire/media-jobs-uk-news/lbc-david-lammy-lewis-goodall/ [accessed 15 November 2024]
326 Written evidence from Media Reform Coalition (FON0029), Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom North (FON0040), Dr Steven Buckley (FON0001), Prof Steven Barnett (FON0052)
328 Ibid.
330 Ofcom, Audience attitudes towards politicians presenting programmes on television and radio (April 2024), pp 5–6: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/tv-radio-and-on-demand/broadcast-codes/politicians-research/audience-attitudes-towards-politicians-presenting-on-tv-and-radio-report.pdf [accessed 14 June 2024]