BBC must think more carefully about how its news provision is impacting the industry, report says

The BBC needs to think more carefully about how its news provision is impacting the commercial news industry, a wide-ranging review looking into the future of journalism has said.

The Cairncross Review has called on regulator Ofcom to explore the impact the publicly-funded organisation is having on the entire industry.

The independent report, commissioned to examine how the production and distribution of high-quality journalism could be sustained, recommended that the BBC should do more to share its technical and digital expertise, especially with local publishers.

It also called for an extension of the Local Democracy Reporting Service, a scheme that sees the corporation fund jobs at regional news organisations.

In response, the BBC insisted there was no evidence to support suggestions the corporation was crowding out other providers.

"We're planning a full evaluation of the partnerships later this year. Like the review, we believe in strong local journalism and have been looking at how best to develop the work we have begun with the industry and will have more to say in the near future," a spokesperson said.

"However, there is no evidence of the BBC crowding out other providers. This was looked at extensively during Charter review. It's vital that people of all ages have access to impartial news which is relevant to them, and we provide younger audiences with a wide range of stories. We're happy to look at what more we can do to share our technical and digital expertise for the benefit of local publishers, but as the review itself says, any curtailing of the BBC's news offer would be counter-productive."

Representing national, regional and local news organisations, the News Media Association (NMA) said it wanted to work with ministers to take forward the recommendations of the review as a matter of urgency.

"This is a thoughtful report which recognises the critical role of written journalism to democracy and sets out a series of detailed recommendations, many of which respond directly to the proposals put forward by the NMA and our members," it said in a statement.

"These include a Competition and Markets Authority market study into the 'complex and opaque' online advertising market, new measures aimed at constraining the behaviour of the online platforms, an examination of the BBC's impact on commercial publishers, funding support for local news publishers, and tax reliefs such as extending VAT zero rating for online news publications.

"We look forward to engaging with the government to discuss the Cairncross recommendations in more detail and how these should be taken forward as a matter of urgency to ensure they support independent journalism delivered by a strong and sustainable press."

The Society of Editors (SoE) welcomed the review's support for the reporting of local democracy – including the expansion of the BBC local news partnerships – but said it was essential the press remained free from political interference.

"It is extremely gratifying that Dame Frances and her panel have underscored the need to protect and indeed reinvigorate the reporting of local democracy and open justice, areas which have suffered and continue to suffer as the industry contracts," its executive director, Ian Murray, said.

"Crucial to all of the recommendations for what is really state support for the local media industry in particular, are the report's insistence that bodies such as the proposed institution are free from political and other interference in deciding what constitutes public interest news worth supporting.”

Additional reporting from agencies