11-22-2019, 07:55 PM
Response from BBC on election coverage and info-graphics.
Thank you for your email and request. The BBC is required, under the terms of its charter and agreement, to ensure political issues are covered with due accuracy and due impartiality. It has election guidelines that help govern this:
The issue of coverage and prominence given to parties, is covered in section 3 of the guidelines which states:
3. Due Impartiality in coverage of parties and issues
3.1 Coverage of the Parties
To achieve due impartiality, each bulletin, programme or programme strand, as well as online and social media channels, must ensure that the parties are covered proportionately over an appropriate period and overall across the Election Period.
Determining appropriate levels of coverage should take into account levels of past and current electoral support, as consistent with the approach set out in Ofcom’s Digest (and see Appendix).
Electoral support in the most recent equivalent elections (that is, the 2017 and 2015 General Elections) is the starting point for making those judgements.
However, other factors should be taken into account where appropriate, including evidence of variation in levels of support in other sorts of elections, changed political circumstances (e.g. new parties or party splits) as well as other evidence of current support. The number of candidates a party is standing may also be a factor.
How does this work in practice? For the website Policy Guide, for example, we have clearly set out the methodology that governs how parties were chosen and ordered:
Linked from this, we also have a page of all parties taking part in the election:
[url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2019-50381819][/url]
With regards, BBC News online
Promoted by Stephen Graham on behalf of the Liberal Party, 12 Dayworth Mews, Lundy Lane, Reading, RG30 2RR
Thank you for your email and request. The BBC is required, under the terms of its charter and agreement, to ensure political issues are covered with due accuracy and due impartiality. It has election guidelines that help govern this:
The issue of coverage and prominence given to parties, is covered in section 3 of the guidelines which states:
3. Due Impartiality in coverage of parties and issues
3.1 Coverage of the Parties
To achieve due impartiality, each bulletin, programme or programme strand, as well as online and social media channels, must ensure that the parties are covered proportionately over an appropriate period and overall across the Election Period.
Determining appropriate levels of coverage should take into account levels of past and current electoral support, as consistent with the approach set out in Ofcom’s Digest (and see Appendix).
Electoral support in the most recent equivalent elections (that is, the 2017 and 2015 General Elections) is the starting point for making those judgements.
However, other factors should be taken into account where appropriate, including evidence of variation in levels of support in other sorts of elections, changed political circumstances (e.g. new parties or party splits) as well as other evidence of current support. The number of candidates a party is standing may also be a factor.
How does this work in practice? For the website Policy Guide, for example, we have clearly set out the methodology that governs how parties were chosen and ordered:
Linked from this, we also have a page of all parties taking part in the election:
[url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2019-50381819][/url]
With regards, BBC News online
Promoted by Stephen Graham on behalf of the Liberal Party, 12 Dayworth Mews, Lundy Lane, Reading, RG30 2RR