GB News could steal low-income viewers who feel let down by the BBC, colleagues have warned

The BBC abandons viewers from lower income households who feel ‘caricatured’ by the reporting and could switch to alternatives such as GB Newshas found a report from the House of Lords.

Peers also feared the creation of a ‘two-tiered’ media environment, divided between ‘news enthusiasts’, who subscribe to quality, mainstream news outlets, and a ‘growing share’ of news avoiders, who see very little professionally produced news and are vulnerable. to fake news and conspiracy theories spread via social media.

Today’s research into the future of news by the Communications and Digital Commission warned of a ‘grim’ future in which decline in local and regional newspapers creates “news deserts.”

The committee called for “decisive” government action to support national and local news providers facing threats including AI.

The warnings about the future of the BBC will be of particular weight as the committee’s members include former BBC director general Tony Hall.

Ministers have two months to respond to the report, which says the BBC has a crucial role to play in delivering reliable and authoritative news. However, the broadcaster “must address its shortcomings in serving all audiences and concerns about appropriate impartiality.”

It cited research that “suggests lower socio-economic groups feel ‘criticized or caricatured’ rather than authentically reflected” by the BBC.

“Newcomers such as GB News offer an alternative to public broadcasters. Public service broadcasters need to think about why alternative providers are finding a following and how this relates to the way disadvantaged communities are represented in their own reporting.”

BBC News reached almost 9.6 million viewers in October (49 million for all BBC broadcasts), 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 is important”.

“Decreasing support would lead to fewer license fee payers, fewer justifications for its privileges and likely a deterioration of the BBC’s ‘anchor position’ in the UK media market.”

A recent internal investigation found that the BBC is failing to fully report on immigration because journalists fear being seen as ‘racist or woke’. Journalists were “concerned” about addressing topics that could appear hostile to migrants, including raising concerns of locals in immigrant communities.

James Frayne, co-founder of political consultancy Public First, says his research has shown that over the past 10 to 15 years there has been “a very marked decline (in trust in the BBC) among older , Brexit-voting working class, provincial leave voters.”

The Lords report noted that GB News had been found to have breached the Broadcasting Code 12 times by Ofcom and is currently appealing against a £100,000 fine for lack of impartiality.

“Their offer must be consistent with the spirit of the rules, and not stretch them to the breaking point,” said the authors, who also called on Ofcom to be more transparent about the application of rules that could allow politicians to air programs on the channel to present.

Baroness Stowell, chair of the committee, said this i: “The BBC must serve all target groups. We see growing dissatisfaction among a certain target group. We don’t want to be too alarmist, but it is something that needs to be taken seriously.”

The former BBC director added: “We have a broadcaster that is funded by the license fee and acts as the glue for the public broadcaster. We need the BBC to do everything it can to ensure it delivers a service that everyone can trust.

“Some traditional media have to work harder to keep up with priorities and reflect the perspectives of large parts of their audiences. People vote with their feet and go somewhere else.

“Because of their role as an anchor in the media, public broadcasters, and the BBC in particular, need to think about this and focus on meeting the needs and expectations of the public,” she added.

The BBC highlighted that it reaches more adults from low socio-economic groups than any other provider. It cited Ipsos research showing that the BBC is the most used media brand among DE social class audiences, with an average of 85 percent using BBC services every week.

The report issued a stark warning of the failure to address the challenges facing a changing news environment. “There is a realistic possibility that the UK news environment will irreparably fracture along social, regional and economic lines within the next five to ten years,” the report concluded. “The consequences for our society and democracy would be grim.”

said Baroness Stowell: “The danger is that a two-tiered news environment will emerge, where news lovers will have access to excellent content, while a growing proportion of people rely on whatever they can pick up on social media, or tune out altogether.”

“We are particularly concerned about news deserts, where local newspapers have gone out of business and people no longer have any real control over local politicians and public bodies.”

Among the Lords’ recommendations to avoid a bipartisan 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 to all audiences in the UK and as the UK’s most widely used and trusted news provider we take this responsibility very seriously.

“We recognize the challenges of disinformation and the importance of reaching all audiences. That’s why we’ve launched BBC Verify and Your Voice, Your BBC News – asking our audiences what really matters to them – to tackle these issues.”

How to avoid a ‘bipartisan’ news divide – Men’s recommendations

Support local media – Tax breaks for hiring local reporters, training programs for journalists and a comprehensive reporting service for local democracy.

Champion responsible AI – New legislation should include transparency measures to let rights holders check whether their material has been used to train AI, as well as new sanctions for breaking rules.

Take the competition seriously – The Competition and Markets Authority should investigate allegations of anti-competitive practices by major technology companies. Ofcom’s rules on media plurality need to be updated to take into account the growing influence of AI companies in creating news through generative AI summaries.

Remain proportionate on disinformation – Measures to tackle disinformation should not undermine confidence in freedom of expression or fuel public distrust. The Committee wants stronger deterrence against foreign adversaries.