BBC faces probe over ‘biased reports and pointless stories’

REGULATORS have launched an inquiry into the impartiality and ‘depth’ of the BBC’s news and current affairs coverage.

The Ofcom probe follows bias claims from both sides of the political divide – especially over Brexit.

It also comes amid growing fears that serious news coverage is ‘in retreat’ and allegations from rival news providers that the BBC uses too much ‘clickbait’ – celebrity or frivolous stories with little public service value – to lure online readers.

In the last year, articles published on the publicly-funded broadcaster’s website included ‘How to win at rock, paper, scissors’ and ‘Does your name match your face?’. Launching its investigation yesterday, Ofcom warned: ‘We will look at the range and depth of analysis in... news and current affairs, across all platforms, and how this compares with other UK news providers.’

It said the BBC has a ‘central role to play in providing trusted, impartial news’. In 2017, 70 MPs from all parties accused the broadcaster of failing to ‘break out of prereferendum pessimism’.

The Corporation faces regular claims from Momentum, Jeremy Corbyn’s hard-Left backers, of bias against the Labour leader. Insiders have also raised fears that the BBC’s news coverage is weakening. Former head of TV news Roger Mosey said the decision to cut the running time of the Ten O’Clock News has prompted ‘seething resentment’ from producers. Writing in the Spectator, he added that a senior editor had said they ‘can’t disagree’ that news at the BBC is ‘in retreat’.

Ofcom will also test whether the BBC is serving all licence fee payers, especially those that ‘typically engage with it less’. The watchdog has criticised the BBC for appealing to London-based viewers at the expense of those elsewhere, and of older women.

The BBC said it takes ‘providing impartial and accurate news... seriously’. Referring to clickbait, a spokesman said ‘entertainment and showbiz news is of great interest to our audiences’.

The BBC is facing accusations of ‘tokenism’ after a radio station said it will mark International Women’s Day on Friday by taking male presenters off air. BBC Radio Newcastle will also restrict some playlists to female- only artists. The BBC said no staff had complained about the move.