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New CBA report reveals limited nature of UK 'international' news

International television news in the UK focuses on a very limited number of stories and countries, according to a new research report published by the CBA.

The report was written by Martin Scott and produced in partnership with the International Broadcasting Trust [IBT], with funding from the UK Government’s Department for International Development [DFID].

The research analysed broadcast news coverage in the UK and also investigated how UK audiences engage with international and development stories in other genres of TV programming.

The results of the two week news study showed that more than half of all international coverage in the main bulletins focused on the USA, Australia and Israel. For a wider range of international news stories audiences have to turn to the digital rather than mainstream channels.

TV reality formats and drama were praised for finding creative and entertaining ways to show audiences the reality of everyday life elsewhere but in general the report highlighted that TV did not fulfil the potential it has to reflect the wider world to UK audiences.

Sally-Ann Wilson, who commissioned the research for the CBA said, “We live in an increasingly interconnected world and most people in the UK now have a range of connections with other parts of the world. The report clearly shows that audiences are curious to see more of how people elsewhere live their lives and it is an essential role for all Public Service Broadcasters to reflect that reality.”

A PDF of the full report and methodology is available for download.

 Download full report here (PDF file: 18 full-colour pages, 1.39MB)
 Download methodology here (PDF file: 6 pages, 41.6KB)

 Go to CBA-DFID Broadcast Media Scheme

 


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