News-Watch Reports

This survey focuses on BBC Radio 4’s ‘Today’ programme during the period of the fifth round of Brexit negotiations, 4 October – 9 November 2017.

How pro-Brexit views have been marginalised in the BBC’s news coverage

The survey covers EU content in the campaign period (3 May to 7 June) of the 2017 General Election on BBC1’s News at Ten and BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

This paper examines the BBC’s coverage, since 2002, of those on the left who wanted to leave the EU, including during the 2016 Referendum and the 2017 General Election. Data is from 30 individual News-watch surveys, analysing over 5,500 hours of BBC output, and 274 hours of EU-related content.

News-watch analysed all EU and Brexit-related coverage broadcast on the Today programme for one week between 29 March and 4 April 2017, coinciding with the delivery of the letter informing the European Union of Britain’s intention to leave, as set out in Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty. The Today programme carried 5 hours and 5 minutes of EU coverage, almost half of its available airtime and carried contributions from 124 guest speakers.

News-watch analysed all Brexit coverage broadcast in the Today programme’s dedicated Business News slots for a 26 weeks between 23 June and 21 December 2016.  The survey focused on 130 separate editions of Today and ecompassed 208 individual programme items.

News-watch analysed all lunchtime and evening editions of Radio 1’s ‘Newsbeat’ for a ten-week period between 15 April and 23 June – the period in which the BBC’s Referendum Guidelines were in effect, and ‘broad balance’ ought to have been achieved between the Leave and Remain arguments on Britain’s membership of the European Union.

News-watch monitored and analysed the 31 programmes and programme excerpts chosen by the BBC as part of The Brexit Collection – an online compendium of BBC Radio 4 content featuring pre- and post-referendum coverage.

News-watch monitored four BBC programmes between March 30 and May 10, 2015.   The programmes were: Today and The World at One on BBC Radio 4, BBC1’s News at Ten, and BBC2’s Newsnight.

News-watch monitored four BBC programmes for an eight-week period between Monday 27 October and Saturday 21 December 2014.   The programmes were: The World at One and PM on BBC Radio 4, BBC1’s News at Ten, and BBC2’s Newsnight. This equated to approximately 131 hours of broadcasting.