BBC News and Current Affairs (sometimes abbreviated BBC NCA) is a major arm of the BBC responsible for the corporation's news gathering and production of news programmes on BBC television, radio and
online.
Introduction
BBC News carries out a key objective of the BBC's Royal Charter, to "collect news and information in any part of the world and
in any manner that may be thought fit".
BBC News is based at the News Centre at Television Centre
(TVC) but operates regional centres across the UK and bureaux around the world. Political coverage is based at Millbank Studios in Westminster. The
News Centre brought radio and TV news operations together for the first time and produces almost 100 hours of output every
day.
BBC News claims the BBC's output is widely respected across the world. Within the UK BBC News faces stiff competition from
Sky News and ITN however research has shown
that viewers turn to the BBC for coverage of major events, e.g. Iraq war, September 11th attacks.
The distinctive music of BBC News introduced in 1999 was composed by David
Lowe. With the common visual branding of BBC Television News which commenced in 1999 variations of this theme extended from
its original use on BBC One and BBC Two to News 24, BBC World and local news in BBC nations and regions. Lowe was also
responsible for the music on Radio One's "Newsbeat".
Television news
BBC Television News is responsible for network news bulletins on BBC One and
BBC Two, news output on BBC Three and
BBC Four and the news networks BBC
News 24, BBC World, BBC
Parliament. BBC News also provides news on Ceefax.
Radio news
BBC Radio News produces bulletins for BBC national radio and provides content for local BBC radio stations via the General
News Service (GNS). BBC News does not produce the BBC's regional news bulletins, these are produced by the BBC nations and
regions.
Online news
BBC News Online is the BBC's news website. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/) Launched in November 1997, it
is one of the most popular news websites in the UK with around 15 million visitors every month. The website contains exhaustive
international news coverage, as well as British, entertainment, science, and political news. Many reports are accompanied by
audio and video from the BBC's television and radio news services. The latest TV and radio bulletins are also available on the
site.
History
A relaunch of BBC television news output in 1993 saw the abolition of the large variation in sets, titles and music in favour
of a single set with a common theme. The new set was a small one which took of advantage of Silicon Graphics systems to create a virtual studio which appeared to be huge. The titles commenced
with the BBC News logo imposed on a spinning globe, this shot then widened to reveal a glass sculpture of the BBC crest (again computer generated) in front of a panoramic view of the studio. The
colour of the sets varied, getting progressively darker throughout the day. Likewise the style of the theme changed; from a
bright and driving theme for Breakfast News to an authoritive and more sombre version for the Nine O'Clock News. In 1997 the
programmes were altered to incorporate the new corporate logo and in 1999 all BBC News output was relaunched, with BBC World, BBC
News 24 and network news adopting a common style. Perhaps most significantly BBC regional news programmes adopted the new
corporate image for the first time, giving a common style across local, national and international BBC television news.
In 1998 most of BBC Radio News joined BBC Television News at TVC in the new "News Centre" complex at the front of the
building. In 2008 all BBC News, national radio and BBC World Service broadcasts will be moved to Broadcasting House in central
London. The building is planned to have the largest live newsroom in the world.
The then British Broadcasting Company broadcast its first radio bulletin on November 14, 1922. On July 5,
2004 the BBC celebrated 50 years of television news, the first bulletin was broadcast on
that day in 1954.
Hutton Inquiry
BBC News was at the centre of one the largest political controversies in recent years. Three BBC News reports (Andrew Gilligan's on Today,
Gavin Hewitt's on The Ten O'Clock News and another on Newsnight)
quoted an anonymous source that stated the British government (partiularly the Prime Minister's office) had embellished the
dossier with misleading exaggerations of Iraq's WMD capabilities.
The Government angrily denounced the reports and accused the corporation of poor journalism. In subsequent weeks the
corporation stood by the report, saying that it had a reliable source. Following intense media speculation, Dr. David Kelly was finally named in the press as the source for Gilligan's story on
July 9. Kelly committed suicide in a field close to his home on July 17 (although this will not be officially confirmed until a
coroner's report is released). An inquiry lead by Lord Hutton was announced by the British government the following day. The inquiry was to
investigate whether the Government had indeed "sexed-up" the report or, if not, uncover why it had been claimed that it did.
Aftermath of Hutton report
When reporting on January 28, 2004
Hutton concluded that Gilligan's original accusation was "unfounded" and the BBC's editorial and management processes were
"defective". In particular, it specifically criticised the chain of management that caused the BBC to defend its story. The BBC
Director of News, Richard Sambrook, the report said, had accepted Gilligan's word that his story was accurate, rather than check
Gilligan's records more thoroughly.
Davies had then told the BBC Board of Governors that he was happy with the story, and told the Prime Minister that a
satisfactory internal inquiry had taken place. The Board of Governors, under BBC Chairman Gavyn Davies' guidance, accepted that further investigation of the Government's complaints were
unnecessary.
Due to the level of criticism of the corporation in the Hutton report Davies resigned on the day of publication. BBC News
faced an important test, reporting on itself with the publication of the report, but by common consent managed this both
independently and impartially. Davies was followed by Director General Greg Dyke the following day and Gilligan on January 30. While doubtless a traumatic experience for the corportation, an ICM poll in April 2003 indicated
that it had sustained its position as the best and most trusted provider of news.
External links
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