BBC network news still facing devolution challenge, says Peat

INCIDENTS of BBC network news forgetting to distinguish a story as affecting only England and Wales, and not Scotland, because of devolution, are reducing – according to the BBC governor for Scotland.

But there’s room for improvement on explaining to audiences south of the border how devolution in Scotland is working, says Jeremy Peat.

Speaking on behalf of the Broadcasting Council for Scotland, who have just issued their annual report, Peat says: “The Council identified two specific concerns in relation to network news output. On the first, a view that more attention should be paid to explaining the differences between devolved and reserved issues, I believe that significant progress is being made. On the second, enhancing the reporting of devolved issues for a UK audience, I look for further progress in the year ahead.”

While praising much that has been done recently at BBC Scotland, the Council noted that “nurturing creative talent in the Scottish media sector will be crucial to continuing success and hence this remains a priority”.