NUJ BBC News Channel/BBC World briefing
The decision to close the BBC News Channel and BBC World News and create a new rolling news service in April 2023, with 70 fewer journalists, is a major mistake.
Both TV channels have crucial and distinctive roles which will be diminished in a combined service. Creating a new channel will inevitably diminish the overall breath and diversity of content, and for UK licence-fee payers this could have a direct effect on democracy. The current BBC News channel has provided viewers with up-to-date coverage of UK elections, party conferences, by-elections and domestic and international breaking news. Such reportage may be lost in a combined channel where global events are competing for airtime. This briefing is to inform those lobbying to save both channels.