Aaliah Patel
Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer has announced that Ofcom will extend its powers to regulate the BBC’s website and social media channels.
Recommendations set out in the government’s mid-term review include greater independent scrutiny of complaints handling and improved transparency for commercial media organisations.
The reforms follow criticism of the BBC’s coverage of the war in Gaza as well as accusations of an anti-Tory bias in recent years.
In an interview with Sky News on Monday, Frazer said, “We need to do more in relation to impartiality,” but did not give examples of bias.
"Do you think the BBC is biased?"
Culture Secretary @lucyfrazermp tells @KayBurley 'on occasion the BBC has been biased'
Read more ➡️ https://t.co/B9czZ3oXHf
📺 Sky 501 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/KlQkFIqxU8
— Sky News (@SkyNews) January 22, 2024
What Is Changing?
Plans unveiled by the culture secretary have revealed that Ofcom will be able to enforce action upon the BBC if the content on its online platforms does not meet broadcast media standards as outlined by the media regulator.
These new powers attempt to tackle growing concerns over the BBC’s approach to impartiality, editorial standards and the handling of complaints.
Ofcom currently regulates the BBC’s media output across its main broadcasting channels but these new changes now include formal enforcement of the BBC’s online interfaces, including the BBC News website and its YouTube channel.
According to the Telegraph, in 2023 it emerged that just 25 complaints of bias had been upheld by the BBC in the last five years.
In the same period, the corporation received 1.7 million complaints, of which more than 600,000 were estimated to have been about bias, based on previous data.
Ofcom's oversight of the BBC will be extended under reforms aimed at bolstering confidence in the impartiality of the corporation https://t.co/Cvm3lVFEmz
— Sky News (@SkyNews) January 22, 2024
What Do Ofcom Regulations Mean For The BBC?
The BBC now faces greater regulation over its online platforms, which are rapidly expanding.
Online content services have become more popular, with demand growing as the media landscape changes.
As the BBC invests more in its digital journalism platforms, greater regulation of these platforms may be required to ensure the BBC maintains maximum transparency and the trust of the public.
Ofcom’s newest powers will allow the regulator to hold BBC journalism to account across multi-media platforms as well as ensure audiences have their complaints handled more fairly.
The government review recommends the BBC tackle its impartiality issues by being more transparent, publishing more information on the work it is doing to strengthen impartiality within its editorial content and demonstrate its impact.
Speaking on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Frazer criticised the BBC’s coverage of the Israel-Hamas conflict, highlighting that the corporation had received over 1,500 complaints on the issue.
'What is the BBC not impartial on?' @susannareid100 questions Culture, Media and Sport minister, Lucy Frazer, on the additional powers that have been given to broadcast regulator Ofcom to investigate bias at the BBC. pic.twitter.com/C3SkX5sUgp
— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) January 22, 2024
On the issue, a BBC spokesperson said: “No other organisation takes its commitment to impartiality more seriously.”
“We know this matters to audiences and the BBC continues to be the number one source for trusted news, with the highest scores for impartiality and accuracy.”
Frazer told the BBC: “The Government wants to see a strong, independent BBC that can thrive in the years to come as a major contributor to the nation’s successful creative industries.”
On Sky News, Frazer stated: “These changes will better set up the BBC to ask difficult questions of itself and make sure Ofcom can continue to hold the broadcaster to account.”
“We all rely on the BBC being the best it can be and this review will help ensure that is what the British public gets.”
Ensuring Positive Change For All
The BBC has also been advised to consider greater diversity in its content and decision-making.
In a 2022 report, Ofcom found that lower-income audiences and disabled viewers felt underrepresented by the BBC.
It recommends that the BBC works “to ensure engagement with these groups is sufficient to best understand their specific needs and concerns.”
After the culture secretary’s announcement, a spokesperson for Downing Street clarified that Sunak agreed with Frazer’s remarks, stating: “The Prime Minister agrees with Lucy that the BBC has got work to do on bias, hence why Ofcom have been given more oversight.”
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Featured image courtesy of Yukiko Matsuoka via Flickr. No changes were made to this image. Image licence found here.
