Responding to the publication of the BBC's 2025/26 annual report and accompanying publications, Jaldeep Katwala, Director of the Sir Lenny Henry Centre for Media Diversity, said:
"The BBC deserves credit for publishing its annual report alongside its commissioning, public purposes and equality documents. Taken together, they provide a fuller picture of the organisation and demonstrate a level of transparency that remains rare across the UK media sector."
"There is much that deserves recognition. The BBC remains the UK's most used and most trusted news provider, has delivered significant savings during this Charter period, and continues to publish more diversity data than many other media organisations.
"But it is because the BBC publishes this data that the warning signs cannot be ignored. On-screen Black, Asian and minority ethnic representation has fallen from 29.8% to 26.5% in a single year, while the gap in weekly reach between White audiences and minority ethnic audiences has widened to 24 percentage points. The reports acknowledge these trends but do not explain why they are happening or how they will be reversed.
"The BBC has shown the size of its economic contribution. The next step is showing who benefits from it. We know where the £6.7 billion of value is distributed geographically, but we still do not know whether the opportunities and benefits are being shared fairly across communities by ethnicity, disability or socio-economic background. Publishing that evidence would strengthen the BBC's case for future public investment, not weaken it.
"We also believe the BBC should publish any equality impact assessment carried out on its savings programme. Our own research has shown that journalists from racially minoritised backgrounds are often concentrated in more junior and less secure roles, meaning apparently neutral restructures can have unequal consequences.
"Trust and representation are inseparable. Audiences are more likely to trust institutions when they can see themselves reflected in them. If some communities are increasingly switching off, that should concern everyone who cares about the BBC's future.
"We ask these questions as a critical friend. We want the BBC to succeed. A stronger BBC is one that serves every audience, demonstrates who benefits from its investment, and matches its commitment to transparency with clear plans for closing the gaps its own data reveals."