In an entirely unpredictable turn of events, the BBC has had its first slap on the wrist of 2025, for failing to provide local news coverage since its recent and ongoing massive cuts to local news provision.
An internal investigation into BBC Radio Devon’s coverage of violent clashes between right-wing protesters and police in Plymouth city centre on 5 August may not at face value have much in the way of a Northern link, but it was one of many riots to take place following last year’s notorious Southport attacks, and the cuts have been nationwide, so one could reasonably extrapolate up here.
The nationwide rioting took place as the BBC embarked on a programme of syndication and regionalisation across its local radio stations, which has been widely criticised by listeners but vigorously defended by the broadcaster.
The report by the BBC’s internal complaints unit found that BBC Devon demonstrated “systemic failure” in providing breaking news about violent anti-immigrant disorder in August.
It added that BBC Devon’s coverage of violent clashes between right-wing protesters and police in Plymouth city centre on August 5 gave listeners “little sense of what was happening and little evidence of the BBC having a presence on the scene”.
Anti-racism counter-protesters were also on the streets of Plymouth on the night in question, along with around 150 police officers, several of whom were injured injured along with two members of the public who were taken to hospital. Six people arrested over the disturbance.
The report into the coverage, or lack of, came after the BBC implemented more programme sharing across local radio stations, although it had promised to continue covering major breaking news stories regardless of the new local line up.
In the report, complaints director Jonathan Greenwood, formerly programme editor of the BBC News at Six and Ten, found that coverage of the breaking news in the south coast city “clearly did not happen”.
He cited Ofcom’s then-group director of the broadcasting and online content group Kevin Bakhurst, who said in a letter in 2023 that the BBC “has told us that it expects that major local incidents or breaking local news stories are likely to be of interest within a shared area and so would feature very prominently within shared programmes”.
Greenwood added that it “does not appear to me that the station delivered” on these assurances.
He went on: “In terms of the shared programming from 6pm there were some efforts at points during the evening to give information to listeners. This included an update on the situation regarding bus routes and shop closures, with reaction vox pops, at 6.30pm, and the repeat of a previously broadcast two-way with a reporter at 7.17pm.
“The programme presenter read out a police update at 9.10pm… However, Radio Devon listeners would have had no sense through the evening that the station had a reporter at or near where the trouble was taking place.”
Greenwood concluded: “I have to infer from my investigations that there were elements of systemic failure on the night of 5 August because the staff on duty did not respond adequately to this significant breaking news either due to a lack of training or clear enough instruction.”
A BBC spokesman told Prolific North: “We accept the ECU’s findings on our coverage that evening and had in fact already made adjustments to our ways of working before their review. Over the summer, BBC Local Radio and online services provided significant additional coverage of the unrest across many parts of England that we know was deeply appreciated by our audiences. But we also accept that in this particular instance our response fell short.
“Our strong connection with audience across Devon is incredibly important and our news teams based in the county have a proven track record of delivery. This was evident – and acknowledged by the ECU – in our extensive coverage of the unexploded World War Two bomb in Plymouth and the subsequent evacuation of thousands of homes and businesses late last year, and when Storm Darragh hit the South West last month.”
