BBC boss ‘regrets’ row over briefings

THE director of BBC Scotland has said he ‘regrets’ the row over its coverage of the First Minister’s daily coronavirus briefings.

The broadcaster indicated last month it would be providing televised coverage of the briefings based on ‘editorial merit’, while continuing to stream them online.

But Steve Carson said they never intended to cease coverage of the briefings, despite the BBC audience having been given that impression.

Following criticism of the move, the broadcaster later confirmed it would continue to show them on live TV. Mr Carson appeared before the Scottish parliament’s culture committee on Thursday as MSPs took evidence on the BBC’s annual report and accounts.

In response to a question from Nationalist MSP Annabelle Ewing, he said: ‘I do regret, and I agree, that for a period of days people were incredibly confused as to what they thought the BBC were doing.’

He said the BBC had a legal obligation to due impartiality and the original decision intended

‘People were incredibly confused’

to make clear that coverage of the briefings was not as a result of any ‘directive’.

Liberal Democrat MSP Beatrice Wishart asked the director about differing perceptions of the BBC in Scotland compared with the rest of the UK. An Ofcom report previously found 64 per cent of people in Scotland feel the BBC is ‘effective at informing, educating and entertaining people’, compared with 71 per cent in England.

Mr Carson said consumption levels are higher north of the Border, while recent investment has created hundreds of hours of new content for Scotland.

He said people who work for BBC News Scotland are ‘people of quality and integrity and they work hard every day to provide a diet of fair and accurate information’.

He added: ‘Whether it’s unconscious or not, on days when people want accurate information – they come to the BBC in droves.’