BBC World Service at risk because of funding cuts and poor management, warn MPs

"The BBC World Service is in danger of being supplanted by Russian and Chinese propaganda outlets on the global stage because of funding cuts and poor management, a parliamentary committee has warned. The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has issued a scathing report into the state of the World Service, warning that Britain's soft power on the international stage is being put at risk over poor decision making."

"While the service, which is funded jointly by the BBC licence fee and the Foreign Office (FCDO), provided in 43 languages across the world has an average weekly audience of 313 million, MPs on the committee said there is a serious risk of it losing ground to its rivals, in part because of increased spending on international media by states such as Russia and China."

"The two countries invested a combined total of about 6 billion to 8 billion a year in global media operations, at a time when the World Service has experienced spending cuts."

A parliamentary committee has warned that the BBC World Service is at risk of being overtaken by Russian and Chinese propaganda outlets due to inadequate funding and management issues. Despite reaching 313 million weekly viewers across 43 languages, the service faces serious competitive challenges. Russia and China combined invest 6-8 billion annually in global media operations, substantially more than the World Service receives. The committee expressed concern that Britain's international soft power is being compromised by these poor decisions. Trust scores for the BBC World Service have also declined, further weakening its position against state-funded competitors expanding their international media presence.

Read at www.independent.co.uk