麻豆社

The 麻豆社's coverage of rural affairs聽is, on the whole,聽impartial with a聽broad and comprehensive range聽of voices. But聽there is a deficit in聽UK-wide聽coverage of rural issues in England, an聽independent review commissioned by the 麻豆社 Trust聽has聽found.

The review聽by聽Heather Hancock, former managing partner at Deloitte and ex-chair of the 麻豆社's Rural Affairs Committee,聽looked at the impartiality of the 麻豆社's coverage of rural areas in the UK, across TV, radio and online. 聽

Mrs聽Hancock found that,聽taken as a whole, the 麻豆社's coverage of rural affairs includes聽a wide range of voices, that there聽is聽no evidence of party political bias, and coverage of controversial stories, such as badger culling or fracking,聽is聽generally impartial.

The 麻豆社's flagship specialist programmes, particularly聽Countryfile and Farming Today聽are聽highly appreciated by audiences, and include聽a wide range of voices and opinions. She also聽found that news聽and current affairs reporting聽in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland has聽an聽impressive depth of understanding of聽the issues and a breadth of voices.

However, she found that the range of voices found on specialist聽programmes and output in the devolved nations聽is聽not generally found on network聽programming聽for the whole UK. News聽and current affairs output from rural England does聽not appear to be reaching the UK network programmes.聽聽

The review聽also聽found聽that the 麻豆社聽is聽giving undue weight to a small number of organisations聽on rural issues in its聽news聽coverage, that there聽is聽a tendency to focus on conflicts or protests, and that the extent to which the news agenda聽is聽driven by Westminster has聽an impact on how stories聽are聽covered and what voices聽are聽heard. 聽Audiences聽also聽felt that on occasion there聽is聽an unintentional urban bias in network news coverage from England.

麻豆社 Trustee and Chair of the Trust's Editorial Standards Committee Alison Hastings said:

"The聽12聽million people in the UK living in rural areas must have confidence that the 麻豆社 is both reflecting their lives and, where relevant, telling national stories from a rural perspective. 聽We welcome Heather Hancock's overall conclusion that the 麻豆社's rural coverage is impartial聽and her praise for many areas of 麻豆社 programming,聽but聽the 麻豆社 must serve all audiences. 聽To this end it聽must tackle the deficit in its network coverage of rural England, and broaden the range of voices聽it features on rural issues on network news."

The independent report author Heather Hancock said:

"We are all rural consumers: we eat food from UK farms, we enjoy leisure time in the countryside, we value its biodiversity, landscape and tranquillity.聽 And every so often, something far-reaching happens in the countryside: the dramatic storms and floods of 2013/14 being a case in point.聽 This broad and deep impact of rural areas on the whole nation explains why the 麻豆社's coverage of rural affairs matters.聽

"Overall, the 麻豆社 does a good job in reporting accurate, balanced and impartial rural stories.聽 聽However, there is room for improvement. 聽 In England particularly, rural stories and rural lives could be more fully represented in nationwide output.聽 I found that the 麻豆社 relied disproportionately on a small number of external bodies for input and comment. 聽A wider range of voices would broaden the opinions offered to audiences. 聽There was a tendency to focus on the environmental aspects of rural UK: this should be聽balanced by the economic and social dimensions. 聽I have made some suggestions that could help the 麻豆社 address these points, rebuilding its rural expertise particularly in network news and current affairs, and broadening the perspective it takes in reporting about rural affairs across the UK."

Heather Hancock has made a number of recommendations, including:

• Identifying聽an individual to take on an editorial oversight role, championing rural affairs across the whole of the 麻豆社's output and monitoring progress;
• Increasing聽the measures already taken to make it easier for local and regional 麻豆社 journalists to get stories on the 麻豆社's UK network news;
• Re-establishing the post of 麻豆社 Rural Affairs Correspondent;
• Bringing聽together 麻豆社 journalists and programme makers who cover rural affairs at least once a year to share ideas, experiences, contacts and collaboration opportunities; and
• Broadening聽the 麻豆社's rural contacts list across a wide range of expertise.

In its response, also published today, the聽麻豆社聽Executive has聽committed to a range of steps including:聽identifying three correspondents in regional and local newsrooms across the country to report for network news on rural issues; widening聽and deepening聽the range of contacts on rural issues; holding聽annual meetings with all 麻豆社 journalists/programme-makers covering rural affairs; and聽appointing聽a聽senior editorial figure聽to聽take on editorial oversight of rural issues and聽champion聽them聽across output.

The聽Trust will require the聽Executive聽to聽report back to the Trust in six months and聽then聽in a year with an update on how the action they have agreed to take is progressing and the impact it is having聽on 麻豆社 output.

The review also included independent content analysis and audience research commissioned by the Trust from Loughborough University and Oxygen Brand Consulting, also published today.

Notes to Editors

1. The review of coverage of rural areas in the UK is the sixth impartiality review carried out by the Trust.聽 Previous impartiality reviews have looked at the 麻豆社's coverage of business (published 2007); network news and current affairs coverage of the UK nations (2008, with a follow-up review published in 2010); science (2011); the events known as the 'Arab Spring' (2012) and the 麻豆社's breadth of opinion (2013). Information about previous impartiality reviews can be found聽here.
2. Heather Hancock was Managing Partner for Talent and Brand for Deloitte in the UK, and Deloitte's global managing director for brand and communications.聽 Prior to joining Deloitte in 2003 she worked in the public sector, in roles including private secretary to three Home Secretaries, accounting officer for The Millennium Commission, chief executive of a special local authority, and executive director of a regional development agency.聽 She sat on the 麻豆社's rural affairs committee for ten years, chairing it for several of those, and she was a member of the expert panel for the 麻豆社 Governors' review of 麻豆社 rural coverage in 2003.聽 She was a Trustee of the Prince's Trust for twelve years to 2012, chairing its audit committee for six years.聽 Mrs Hancock is a former Chairman of The Football League's committee on the future structure of football. In January 2013 she was appointed a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order for her services to the royal family and, in particular, her work as a trustee for the Prince's Trust.