Recommendation 16

A decade ago our predecessor committee reported as part of the previous Charter Review process and identified “a need for the BBC to represent Scotland and the diversity of Scottish culture more effectively”. 32 Scottish Parliament. (2016). Education and Culture Committee Report on the renewal of the BBC charter. Retrieved from https://webarchive.nrscotland.gov.uk/20220728161108/https:/archive2021.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/CurrentCommittees/96530.aspx The evidence from our inquiry suggests that it remains a valid finding. Witnesses told us of a London-centric problem, of Scotland being seen as a region and not a nation, of public service broadcasting not enabling different parts of the UK to understand each another, of the need to rebuild trust in journalism, of the case for greater autonomy and governance reform, of the shadow cast by BBC’s coverage of the 2014 independence referendum, of the importance of the BBC telling nations’ stories rather than “our national story” (the latter as stated at the outset of the Green Paper), and of a wish nonetheless not to be limited to producing Scottish stories.