The governance and regulation of the BBC

Book excerpt: In this report into the governance and regulation of the BBC, the Communications Committee finds too many different processes for varying types of complaint, making it very difficult for viewers, listeners and users of BBC content to know where to go to complain. The BBC needs to provide a clear overview of how the complaints process works and publish this in one place on its website and there needs to be a clearing house to direct people through the complaints process. The confusion is in part because the BBC Trust and Ofcom have 'overlapping jurisdiction' in several areas of content regulation, with the exception of issues of impartiality and accuracy and commercial references, which the BBC Trust regulates. In particular, the Committee wants the BBC and Ofcom to consider granting Ofcom the right to regulate the BBC on matters of impartiality and accuracy. In addition, creativity must not be allowed to be stifled by an overly bureaucratic 'compliance culture'. Best practice for programme making needs to be established to ease concerns that it isn't always clear to viewers what is reality, reconstructed and constructed footage. Greater clarity is needed on the governance role of the Non-Executives on the on the BBC Executive Board, who should be recruited from a wider range of backgrounds than they are presently. Terms of access for the NAO to the BBC must be agreed, ensuring that the NAO does not comment on any matters of broadcast content or journalistic integrity.