The general secretary of the National Union of Journalists has slammed BBC attempts to appease local newspaper bosses as “privatisation through the back door”.
Michelle Stanistreet launched a scathing attack on the lobbying efforts of the major regional newspaper groups to get the BBC to fund 100 local journalists’ roles which they would then bid to provide.
She accused regional publishers of targeting BBC funds to prop up ailing businesses they have run into the ground.
“It is outrageous it is going around as an option,” she said, referring to proposals outlined by director general Tony Hall in September following talks with publishers.
“It concerns us. it is a creeping mission of privatisation through the back door. In the dodgy back door dealing [that has been] going on with the BBC the fear is that it is one of the provisos that has almost been accepted. If this is allowed to pass (funding 100 local reporters to help commercial publishers) that will be privatisation through stealth and will undermine the BBC.”
The House of Lords communications committee asked for Stanistreet’s take on the view that the BBC’s expansion into local media coverage had undermined the local and regional newspaper industry.
Stanistreet said the assertion was “complete cobblers” and that it was an excuse made by regional newspaper groups for their own mismanagement.
“It is perpetuated by those leading the local and regional newspaper industry who have a vested interest in trying to grab a slice of licence fee payers’ money,” she said. It is a confection. There is no evidence to suggest the blame lies with the BBC.”
She said that the “titans” of the regional newspaper industry – groups such as Johnston Press and Newsquest – had failed because of a focus on profits over investment in journalism.
“They enjoyed lavish profits for years and didn’t invest in journalism,” she said. “And the rush to go multiplatform means they haven’t got a business model that is sustainable. They have sought to cut and cut and cut to maintain profits and not kept enough staff. They only cared about their bottom line and now see the BBC is ripe for the picking – politically and ideologically – and they have gone hell for leather to secure money from the BBC. It is a land grab.”
She said that the NUJ has been involved in a “legal exchange” of letters with the BBC over the licence fee deal struck behind closed doors with the government in July.
“It is hard to overstate the sense of shock when news of the deal came out on the floor of parliament,” she said. “It was a poor deal. While the BBC thinks they have a cash-flat settlement there is clearly scope for government to shift on that.”
She said that taking on the financial burden of the £750m cost of free licence fees for the over-75s, as well as the policy responsibility, was “doing the Treasury’s dirty work for them”.
“We have been involved in a legal exchange of letters with the BBC about the validity of that [deal],” she said. “We don’t think they have fulfilled the obligations of the [royal] charter. No one has asked the public what they want. As a union we don’t think they fought hard enough. The staff feel let down and so do the broader public.”
