Trust in local journalism is “more important than ever” as public debate becomes increasingly “polarised,” says the BBC’s senior head of content production for the North West and North East.
Speaking on the This Is MediaCity podcast, recorded before the recent controversy surrounding an edit of BBC’s Panorama documentary on Donald Trump, Kate Squire said audiences often form “different” connections with their local TV and radio presenters because they typically come from the areas they cover and build lasting relationships with their communities.
She said audience research reflects this: while some people may not “trust the BBC,” they do trust regional reporters and that bond is “really, really important… and something we really need to build on.”
Squire also explained why the need for trusted local journalism has intensified: “We’re in an increasingly polarised world where we have extreme views on either side that are the ones talked about.”
Most people sit in what she described as the “worried middle,” concerned about what’s happening in the world and looking for open debate that challenges those extremes.
That is where BBC local and regional news “really comes into its own,” she said, because it does not “sanitise” those conversations and gives people space to “have those conversations.”
This, she argued, is where public service broadcasting matters most. Despite frequent criticism of the BBC, trust in its journalism is “still really high” and remains the foundation of its regional output.
Reflecting on more than two decades working across TV and radio, from interviewing Brian Clough to working with Jill Dando on BBC Breakfast, she spoke about the “amount of work” that goes into being “impartial and trusted.”
“I’ve worked in senior editorial positions for 25-odd years. No one has ever told me what to do,” she said, pushing back on assumptions that the BBC is influenced politically.
And those decisions are made through editorial guidelines supported by policy and legal teams: “We make our own decisions. We are absolutely independent. And that is just so important.”
With charter renewal on the horizon, she added that “local and regional broadcasting is right at the heart of it,” emphasising its role in representing diverse communities and feeding regional perspectives back into national coverage.
Throughout the conversation, Squire also discussed the “big change” across the local news landscape in recent years, shifting audience habits, and why local radio remains “incredibly important”. On representation of the North, she acknowledged there is still progress to be made in the North East but said the picture is improving, pointing to BBC investment and a growing creative sector.
The discussion also explored newsroom leadership, the emotional demands of covering difficult stories, pressures during major breaking news and challenges in engaging younger audiences.
Watch the interview in full here. The podcast is produced by 39 Pictures on behalf of MediaCity.
