91Èȱ¬

This is the first impartiality review commissioned by the Trust since it was set up in January this year. The subject of the review was chosen following feedback from the Trust's Audience Councils and audience research.

Richard Tait, 91Èȱ¬ Trustee and Chair of the Trust's Editorial Standards Committee, said:

"The 91Èȱ¬ is committed to providing impartial news and factual coverage for licence fee payers across the UK. The substantial devolution of powers to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland over the past decade has led to new challenges for the 91Èȱ¬ in providing appropriate and relevant network coverage for each of the four nations. Feedback from Audience Councils, audience research and public meetings tell us this is an area that interests many licence fee payers.

"This review will consider whether the nations' differing policies – with regard to both devolved policies and other matters – are properly reflected in the 91Èȱ¬'s network output and whether the 91Èȱ¬ provides appropriate coverage of the actions and policies of the devolved administrations and reaction to them."

The Trust has appointed Anthony King, Professor of Government at the University of Essex, as independent author of the review. He will be supported by Mike Robinson, a former 91Èȱ¬ news and current affairs programme editor, as project director of the review.

Research to inform the review will be carried out by Cardiff University School of Journalism. The research will analyse network coverage of the four nations, notably of devolution and devolution issues, during the England local elections and national elections in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales in spring 2007. It will also analyse four weeks of such coverage over the course of autumn 2007.

Audience research will be undertaken to understand the audiences' perspectives about these issues in each of the four UK nations.

The Trust expects to receive and publish Professor King's final report in early summer 2008.

Ends

Notes to editors

1. Anthony King is Professor of Government at Essex University. He moved to the UK from his native Canada as a Rhodes Scholar in the mid-1950s. He then took up a post as Fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford University before moving to the University of Essex, where he has been Professor of Government since 1969. He has written extensively on UK politics, its government and constitution. Recent publications include Does the United Kingdom Still Have a Constitution? (2000 Hamlyn Lectures), Leaders' Personalities and the Outcomes of Democratic Elections (Editor, Oxford University Press, 2002), Britain at the Polls 2005 (Editor, CQ Press, 2005) and The British Constitution (Oxford University Press, 2007). Professor King served on the Committee on Standards in Public Life from 1994 to 1998 and the Royal Commission on the Reform of the House of Lords from 1999 to 2000. He chaired the Royal Society of Arts Commission on Illegal Drugs, Communities and Public Policy, which published its findings in March 2007.

2. Mike Robinson is a former news and current affairs programme editor at the 91Èȱ¬. His roles included editor of the One O'Clock News, news editor in Newsgathering, and, most recently, editor of Panorama from 2000 to 2006.

3. The terms of reference for the review are:

To assess the impartiality of the 91Èȱ¬'s network news and factual coverage of the four nations of the United Kingdom, having particular regard to the duly impartial coverage of matters of political controversy and matters of public policy.

In assessing the 91Èȱ¬'s coverage, to consider issues of accuracy, context and balance as follows:

• in considering accuracy, to assess in particular if it is clear whether or not the facts and views conveyed in the output apply to each individual nation;
• in considering context, to assess, where relevant, whether or not the nations' differing policies – with regard to both devolved policies and other matters – are appositely reflected in the content and also whether or not significant relevant factors are adequately explained;
• and in considering balance, to assess in particular whether or not the output gives appropriate weight to the actions and policies of the devolved administrations and at the same time gives due weight to the views expressed by the political parties other groups and individuals concerning those actions and policies and also gives due weight to the way points of view may vary both across individual nations and across the UK.

The review covers factual network coverage of the four nations on radio, television and online. It will concentrate on news and current affairs and news online. It excludes drama, music and entertainment. Issues of portrayal and harm and offence are excluded.

4. The project has been allocated a budget of £250,000 to cover all costs, including the audience research to be carried out in each of the four nations and content analysis by Cardiff University.

5. The 91Èȱ¬ Trust is the 91Èȱ¬'s independent governing body. The 91Èȱ¬ Trust's Audience Councils in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales play a key role in helping the Trust understand the needs, interests and concerns of audiences. Each council is chaired by the 91Èȱ¬ Trust member for that nation. The councils' role is to bring a wide range of licence fee payers' perspectives to bear on the work of the Trust.