Ofcom's assessment of BBC Breakfast, BBC One, 17 July 2019

8 Oct 2019 01:02 PM

Ofcom yesterday published its assessment of BBC Breakfast on BBC One on 17 July 2019:

Kevin Bakhurst, Ofcom’s Group Director for Content and Media Policy, yesterday said: 

“Due impartiality rules are vital for maintaining high levels of trust in broadcast news. We took into account the format of the BBC Breakfast programme and the nature of the presenters’ exchange. Our assessment is that it would not breach our broadcasting rules and does not warrant investigation.

“More widely, we have serious concerns around the transparency of the BBC’s complaints process, which must command the confidence of the public. We’ll be requiring the BBC to be more transparent about its processes and compliance findings as a matter of urgency.”

Notes to Editors

1. In the interests of transparency, we have published our exchange of correspondence with the BBC about our decision to carry out this assessment (PDF, 851.9 KB).
2. Our assessment was carried out in accordance with our duty under article 46(7) of the BBC Charter. This states that one of the principal functions of Ofcom as the external regulator of the BBC is that it must secure the observance of standards in the relevant UK Public Services which must be in accordance with the Ofcom Broadcasting Code.