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BBC news online failing to reach lower income groups, says Trust

BBC news online is failing to reach lower income groups, according to a review of BBC.co.uk released today by the BBC Trust.

The corporation's online news output does not have the same reach as television and radio news for lower income groups, the Trust said.

In contrast the review said the BBC's online and mobile news services had a higher proportion of 16-34 year old users than most television or radio news services.

The Trust rejected claims by BBC management that the website could extend the reach of BBC news to 'underserved' audiences, urging consideration of both online and offline news approaches for delivering news content.

"While we accept that there may be a decline in consumption of linear news in the future, it is also clear that embedding short news bulletins within linear offerings of other more entertainment-based programming has great potential to reach those who do not actively choose to consume news," said the review.

"Online media is disadvantaged by the fact that users can more easily avoid content they are not particularly interested in."

The introduction of personalised news, as part of the redesign of BBC.co.uk in April, and increasing amounts user-generated content on the site would require careful monitoring to avoid 'an unduly narrow range of consumption' and to maintain 'impartiality, accuracy and independence', the Trust said.

An increase in user participation on the site, such as the Have Your Say forums, had generated mixed responses from users, the review said, with some expecting to participate and others seeing comments as detracting from the value of the news coverage.

BBC News is the most used area of the site, according to the review, attracting 6.7 million UK users a week in the last three months of 2007 - an 18 per cent increase from the same period in 2006.

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