"The Committee has backed greater prominence for trusted news, an end to political appointments to the BBC Board, and a permanent Charter with periodic reviews. The Sir Lenny Henry Centre for Media Diversity welcomes all three."
"People should be able to find the BBC and trust it as an independent public service broadcaster. But if the BBC is to serve the whole country, we also need to ask who it reaches. The report does not engage adequately with the evidence it received on equality, inclusion, ethnicity and disability.
The BBC’s own Annual Report shows weekly reach of 85% among white adults, compared with 61% among Black, Asian and minority ethnic adults - a 24-point gap, up from 22 points the previous year. Evidence from the NUJ, NCTJ, Bectu and Directors UK also raised concerns about representation.
Recommendation 117 provides an opportunity to address this. The Government should require the BBC to report reach by ethnicity, disability and class, include freelancers in workforce reporting, and publish an equality assessment alongside the Charter White Paper. The White Paper should also set out how progress will be measured.
A BBC that is genuinely national must be accountable not only for its independence, but for whether it is reaching and serving the whole of the UK."