The hunt is on

The full committee of witchfinders at Ofcom have published their terms of reference for the show trial of BBC News and Current Affairs.

They say they will use a range of tools, though dunking stools, pricking, and Guides to the Devil's Mark are not mentioned. Yet nearly all their tools rely on perceptions as evidenced through standard market research techniques. Brilliant, eh ?

This is how they describe their areas of focus.

i) Relevance: We will examine how effective the BBC is at serving all audiences,
including those who typically engage with it less – and the reasons for that. We will
look at the role the BBC plays in helping people understand the world around them,
and how they engage with its content. We will also consider how well the BBC is
placed to continue serving audiences in the future, with a changing news landscape.

ii) Distinctiveness and quality: We will explore audience views on how the BBC
reports complex and challenging stories while maintaining the quality that
audiences value. We will look at the range and depth of analysis in its news and
current affairs, across all platforms, and how this compares with other UK news
providers.

iii) Trust: We will assess how people’s views on the accuracy and impartiality of the
BBC drive their trust in it. This review will not assess the BBC’s formal compliance
with the ‘due impartiality’ Since we took on our current duties in April 2017, we have not
found the BBC to be in breach of the ‘due impartiality’ requirements of the Ofcom
Broadcasting Code. However, our research suggests people rate the impartiality of
BBC news lower than its accuracy or quality.10 We will seek to understand more
clearly the importance the audience places on the BBC’s impartiality; whether
they are satisfied that the current tools used to ensure due impartiality are
effective; and how audience attitudes to impartiality, accuracy and trust relate to
one another.