The Regional Moorland Groups has written to the next BBC director general calling for reform of the corporation’s rural coverage, based on a survey of rural Britain’s views.
According to a YouGov poll, only 2% of all UK adults believe the BBC represents rural areas “very accurately”.
The same poll found that more than half (53%) of people living in rural Britain believe the BBC continues to rely on a narrow group of individuals and organisations when covering rural issues.
Additionally, the poll found that fewer than one in four Britons (24%) think the BBC is unbiased in its reporting on rural issues.
Among rural residents, 37% believe the BBC represents rural areas inaccurately, whilst 38% feel they themselves are misrepresented by the corporation.
Statement
A statement from Regional Moorland Groups said: “The timing of our letter is deliberate.
“The recent resignation of Tim Davie and Deborah Turness over the misleading editing of President Trump’s speech has demonstrated that the BBC’s problems with bias are institutional, not incidental.
“If the corporation cannot be trusted to present speeches accurately, how can rural communities trust it to fairly represent the complexities of moorland management, agricultural practices, or field sports?”
“The answer, unfortunately, is that they cannot and do not.”
According to the Regional Moorland Groups, the BBC overly relies on urban-based organisations when covering rural-related topics.
Regional Moorland Groups added: “When the BBC covers moorland management, grouse shooting, or upland farming, the voices of those who actually work the land – gamekeepers, farmers, land managers and rural workers whose families have lived in these areas for generations – are marginalised or absent entirely.
“Instead, airtime is given to urban-based campaigning organisations with little direct experience of rural livelihoods.
“The incoming director general has inherited a crisis but also an opportunity.
“We have called for urgent reforms: genuinely independent rural correspondents with direct experience of farming and land management; clear editorial guidelines ensuring balance with rural workers’ voices; proper weight given to economic, social and ecological perspec
