Rural lobby group Countryside Alliance has submitted evidence to Ofcom’s review of the BBC, highlighting what it perceives as a “relentless bias” on rural issues.
Following a spate of recent complaints made by the Countryside Alliance against the broadcaster, the organisation met representatives from Ofcom.
The meeting discussed Countryside Alliance’s concerns regarding BBC impartiality on rural issues, issues with the BBC complaints system, and also gave members a better understanding of Ofcom’s role as the BBC’s independent regulator.
Reviews
One outcome of the meeting was an invitation to contribute to Ofcom’s first thematic review of the BBC.
Ofcom plans to produce at least two reviews of the BBC as part of its role as regulator – the first of which is considering the representation of the country’s different communities.
As part of its evidence to Ofcom, the alliance claimed the BBC had failed to implement the recommendations of its own 2015 review of rural coverage.
The BBC Trust review advised the appointment of a ‘rural correspondent’ and advised that the broadcaster ceased to rely on a narrow set of protest groups for comment.
Three years later, the organisation claimed that no rural correspondent had been appointed. The Countryside Alliance also said it had gathered evidence that the BBC continued to report on rural issues as conflicts between protest groups, rather than delving into underlying issues.
The alliance also took the time to highlight how the BBC had failed to deliver on its 2016 editorial committee findings relating to Chris Packham’s campaigning.
In a statement, the organisation described the findings as “clearly either not happening or entirely ineffectual, with clear implications for the working countryside”.
‘Relentless bias’
Countryside Alliance chief executive Tim Bonner said: “We believe the countryside deserves a truly neutral BBC.
Our campaigning on this issue is relentless because BBC bias on rural issues is relentless, and it is vital that we highlight every occurrence until the problem is sorted.
“We are very grateful to Ofcom for the opportunity to discuss our concerns, and for the opportunity to contribute to this thematic review. Hopefully, it marks the beginning of improved rural coverage at the BBC.”
A BBC spokeswoman said: “The BBC is committed to providing comprehensive and impartial rural affairs coverage across TV, radio and online, and took on board the recommendations from the review of our rural coverage in 2015, implementing a range of changes that were approved by the BBC Trust – including the appointment of a dedicated rural affairs editor.
“As well as a wealth of highly popular rural affairs programming such as Countryfile, Farming Today, On Your Farm and Open Country, BBC News reports on a range of stories from around the country and also makes use of our network of regional journalists with a specialist understanding of the local issues.”
