BBC contemplates local newspaper subsidy
Stung by criticism that it has become overly dominant the BBC is considering plans to siphon off a portion of its license fee to subsidise local newspapers from which it sources stories.
The plan is the brainchild of director of news James Harding who has requested accountants look at the issue in two regions – but conceded there is internal disagreement over the merits of the policy.
Local news outlets have been up in arms at being crowded out of the online domain by the sheer dominance of the BBC, forcing them to slash resources and budgets.
During a speech to the Society of Editors Harding said: “There are differing views within the working group on whether the BBC should pay for more local content. We have agreed an audit in two regions [West Yorkshire and Bristol] of how many stories are sourced by the BBC from other providers and what kind of funding stream that might offer.”
Plans under discussion are thought to include a fund to pay for coverage of local court cases.