Following Tory PM Rishi Sunak’s General Election announcement earlier this week the Beeb have revealed their coverage plans…
“As we begin the BBC’s general election coverage, we have one thing on our minds above all else – the voters. This is your choice. Our job is to provide you with the information you need to make up your own mind.” – Deborah Turness, CEO, BBC News and Current Affairs
The BBC have noted, in a statement by Deborah Turness the CEO of BBC News and Current Affairs that the corporation will ‘not pick sides in the election’ and seemingly with a dig at tabloid newspapers and certain networks that claim to be ‘news channel’s without the news coverage, added ‘it’s not our job to tell people what to think or who to vote for.’. Turness adds that the Beeb are ‘here for everyone, however, you cast your ballot.’
“We will strive to serve all of our audiences, however they’re consuming news and however they will vote. We want to be useful – and used. Trusted to deliver for everyone. And we know that your trust is earned – so during this election campaign our pledge to you is that we will work even harder to earn it.
“Over the coming days we’ll be rolling out some exciting new features and innovations, and announcing details of our line-up for election night itself, but I wanted to use this opportunity to share what we’ll be doing to respond to what you – our audiences – have told us you need from us.” – Deborah Turness the CEO of BBC News and Current Affairs
The finer details of the coverage is yet to be announced but the BBC say they will offer ‘clarity on the important issues’ and bring to light ‘disinformation’ to provide the real details via BBC Verify. ‘Elections can be chaotic and confusing, with so many claims and counter-claims. [BBC Verify] will work through the noise [and] will be there with the tools to separate fact from fake.’
Being prepared to be accused of supporting particular parties is something Turness is prepared for. She notes:
“An election campaign is never plain sailing and we know that the BBC’s journalism will come under attack. We will be accused of political bias – from all sides. We ourselves will be the target of disinformation. Examples of our perceived bias will be served up across social platforms, often completely out of context.
“But none of that will stop us from listening and constantly asking ourselves whether we are getting it right. And during a six-week campaign, with the hundreds of hours of programmes we will broadcast, and the thousands of words we will publish, it’s inevitable we will make mistakes. And when we do we will hold our hands up to them, we will correct them, and we will transparently explain.” – Deborah Turness the CEO of BBC News and Current Affairs
Turness notes that Beeb will work to deliver transparency in all of their journalism’ and that the corporation have asked journalists to ‘not just tell you what we know, but how we know it – and, just as importantly, what we don’t know’. The BBC News election coverage aims to “pull back the curtain” on the work they all do behind the scenes to ensure that the BBC’s journalism meets the high standards set by the BBC’s editorial guidelines. It is noted that research has shown that the more viewers know about how the Beeb does their work, the more the output is trusted. ‘If you know how it’s made, you can trust what it says. So we will show we’ve heard you by placing transparency at the heart of what we do.’
“The BBC has another important job, and that is to bring people together. In an increasingly fragmented world of social media echo chambers, where algorithms serve people more and more content that reflects their own point of view, it’s vital we have a shared space where we can listen to each other and – yes – agree to disagree. As Britain’s public service broadcaster, we pledge to be that place – where everyone has a voice – on whatever platform they use.” – Deborah Turness the CEO of BBC News and Current Affairs
Channel 4 News announced its election coverage in April, while Sky News revealed its offering yesterday.
