NUJ urges government to provide urgent funding security for BBC World Service
The NUJ has urged the UK government to act swiftly to safeguard the future of the BBC World Service after the corporation warned that the service is on a financial cliff edge.
The BBC’s outgoing director general, Tim Davie, said the World Service will run out of funding in just seven weeks and that no future deal with the government is currently in place.
Most of the World Service’s £400m annual budget comes from the licence fee, with around a third coming from government funding.
Laura Davison, NUJ general secretary, said:
“Around 450 million people in all corners of the world tune into the BBC World Service each week to access high-quality and impartial journalism that they can trust. The World Service is one of the UK’s greatest assets and an important tool for combatting the spread of mis- and disinformation, particularly in authoritarian countries where press freedom is lacking.
“To continue shining a light around the world through its unrivalled journalism, the BBC World Service requires sustainable funding. We welcome the recent increase to the TV licence fee that will support the BBC in its vital work, including the World Service, which is largely funded through this mechanism.
“The World Service also relies on direct government funding - and the NUJ is very concerned that the current allocation will dry up in just a matter of weeks without a deal in place. Members are worried that without secure and full funding, more jobs will be put at risk, workload and stress will increase, news output will be cut and the BBC's reputation will be damaged.
“For too long the BBC’s funding has been decided in closed-door meetings with ministers. Such key decisions affecting the future of our public broadcaster must be transparent, public and open to parliamentary scrutiny. The union urges the government to not only address this as a matter of urgency, but to also use Charter Renewal to guarantee that the BBC as a whole has the funding it requires to deliver quality public service news across the nations and regions for many years to come.”
Read more about the NUJ's Back The BBC campaign.