A sustained record of independent scrutiny
News-watch exists to scrutinise the quality, accuracy and impartiality of news journalism, with particular attention to the BBC as the United Kingdom’s principal publicly funded broadcaster.
Since 1999, it has conducted sustained independent examination of news and current-affairs output across radio, television, the press and, increasingly, online platforms. Its researchers have monitored and transcribed thousands of hours of programming, recorded the contributors and arguments included, examined language and framing, and identified significant omissions as well as explicit editorial choices.
This sustained approach makes it possible to detect patterns that cannot be established from isolated examples. News-watch asks whether audiences are being given the range of evidence, explanation and opinion they need to reach informed judgements—and whether broadcasters, the BBC, Ofcom and the complaints system provide meaningful accountability where the evidence indicates that journalism has fallen short.
Specialist Expertise
News-watch combines extensive practical experience of broadcast monitoring with detailed knowledge of the standards and regulatory structures governing British news journalism. This includes the BBC’s Editorial Guidelines and complaints procedures, the operation of BBC First, Ofcom’s Broadcasting Code and the relationship between the BBC’s internal complaints system and external regulation.
This expertise enables News-watch to examine not only the journalism itself, but also the systems through which its quality, accuracy and impartiality are assessed. Its work considers whether complaints are addressed on their evidence, whether regulatory decisions apply the relevant standards consistently, and whether processes designed around individual broadcasts can adequately recognise patterns that emerge across programmes or over extended periods.
News-watch also has particular experience in evaluating research commissioned by broadcasters and regulators. Its published work has examined sampling periods, coding frameworks and analytical assumptions, identifying circumstances in which short or fixed monitoring samples may present an incomplete picture. This included a detailed critique of the BBC Trust’s impartiality reviews, published by Civitas in 2014, and subsequent engagement with the Thematic Reviews instigated by Ofcom.
Origins and track record
News-watch’s work began in 1999, when its predecessor, Minotaur Media Tracking, was commissioned by a cross-party group of peers to examine coverage of the European Parliamentary elections and the range of perspectives represented in discussion of Britain’s relationship with the European Union.
In those early years, monitoring was an intensely manual process. Following BBC Radio 4’s Today programme meant being ready at 6am to record the three-hour broadcast onto audio cassettes. Television news presented similar practical difficulties, with recording equipment positioned beside the television to capture audio for later transcription. Developments in digital recording, online programme access and broadcast retrieval services subsequently expanded the volume and range of material that could be studied. The technology changed radically, but the underlying principle did not. Conclusions were built from systematic examination of the broadcast record rather than isolated examples or impressions.
Over time, the research extended beyond European affairs to elections and referendums, immigration, public policy, political representation, BBC editorial standards and the treatment of contested subjects across news and current-affairs output.
How the work contributes
The same evidence base serves several purposes. It documents long-term editorial trends, tests broadcasters’ claims about their output, supports complaints and regulatory challenges, and contributes detailed research to policy discussions about broadcasting and media regulation.
This work has led to engagement at numerous levels of BBC governance. A formal complaint about Today programme coverage resulted, after sustained correspondence, in a face-to-face meeting with the programme’s editor, Ceri Thomas. This was a highly unusual response from the BBC.
News-watch has also given oral evidence to the House of Commons European Scrutiny Committee, met Stuart Prebble before his BBC Trust review of breadth of opinion, and met representatives of the BBC Trust alongside Lord Pearson. Its research has informed submissions to parliamentary bodies, government consultations, Ofcom and reviews of the BBC’s constitutional and regulatory arrangements.
Complaints and correspondence form an important part of this record. They show how detailed findings have been presented to broadcasters and regulators, how those organisations have defended their editorial decisions, and how standards of accuracy and impartiality are interpreted in practice.
Where the work is going
News-watch is increasingly applying its established methods beyond conventional broadcast monitoring. Journalism now moves continuously between television and radio programmes, websites, headlines, edited clips and social-media platforms. The way material is selected, shortened and repackaged can become as important as the original report.
Questions of misinformation and disinformation are therefore an increasing focus. This includes examining how claims are amplified, qualified, reframed or stripped of context as they move between platforms, and whether the presentation of material online accurately reflects the originating journalism.
News-watch also continues to examine the structures through which complaints about BBC journalism are handled. Particular attention is given to whether existing procedures can properly assess complaints based on patterns across multiple programmes or extended periods, rather than treating every broadcast as an isolated event.
Who we are
News-watch is a small, specialist research operation bringing together experience in journalism, broadcasting and public affairs with media theory, statistical analysis and nearly three decades of practical quantitative and qualitative research.
David Keighley
David has worked in the media for most of his career. After graduating from Emmanuel College, Cambridge, he worked as a newspaper reporter before joining the BBC, where he spent seven years and became a television news and current-affairs publicity officer.
From 1985 to 1992, he was controller of public affairs at TV-am, with responsibility for the company’s public profile and editorial compliance. He subsequently worked as a media business-development consultant for organisations including Reuters Television and Channel Nine Australia. He also originated and directed News World, the first international conference for news broadcasters, and founded News-watch in 1999.
Through News-watch, he has made numerous media appearances and submitted evidence and representations to parliamentary and regulatory bodies. In March 2013, he gave oral evidence to the House of Commons European Scrutiny Committee about BBC coverage of European Union affairs. He continues to represent News-watch in discussions about broadcasting standards, impartiality, accuracy and regulation.
Andrew Jubb
Andrew read English and Media Studies at the University of Sussex, concentrating on media theory, representation, politics and bias. He has worked for News-watch since its inception in 1999.
He has overseen extensive broadcast monitoring, including a 47-week continuous study of BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, and has undertaken extended analysis of both the tabloid and broadsheet press. He has co-authored more than 30 News-watch reports and provided statistical evidence for papers published by the Centre for Policy Studies and Migration Watch.
His role encompasses the practical and analytical dimensions of News-watch’s work. This includes designing and applying monitoring frameworks, organising large-scale research projects, overseeing transcription and coding, and maintaining the evidence base supporting reports, complaints and regulatory submissions. He is also closely involved in developing the organisation’s work on online journalism, repackaging, misinformation and disinformation.