Information Policy & Compliance
bbc.co.uk/foi
British Broadcasting Corporation Room BC2 B6 Broadcast Centre White City Wood Lane London W12 7TP
Telephone 020 8008 2883 Email xxx@xxx.xx.xx
Mr Jonathan Shepphard
By email:
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx 30 November 2012
Dear Mr Shepphard
Freedom of Information request – RFI20121232 Thank you for your request to the BBC of 7th November, seeking the following information under the
Freedom of Information Act 2000:
“Could you provide me with the following information:
a) the number of BBC journalists sent to America to cover the 2012 U.S election,
b) the total number of BBC staff including journalists sent to America to cover the 2012 US election
c) the number of BBC staff based classified as being US based at the time of the 2012 election
d) the total cost of transporting and accommodating BBC staff in America for coverage of the 2012
U.S Election on all BBC channels”
The information you have requested is out of scope of the Act. However we are happy to explain on this
occasion that BBC News sent 94 people including technical staff to report for a wide range of outlets and
audiences on this globally important story. Our programme teams worked together to share resources, also
drawing on the expertise and knowledge of the existing US-based team to provide comprehensive
multimedia coverage for BBC One, the BBC News channel, BBC World News, BBC America, the BBC website,
BBC World Service, Radio 4, Radio 5Live, local radio and the Nations. Almost all staff was working for more
than one area of output and the deployment was heavily coordinated and scrutinised to ensure efficiency
and value for money. We hope this is helpful.
Please note that the information you have requested is excluded from the Act because it is held for the
purposes of ‘journalism, art or literature.’ Part VI of Schedule 1 to FOIA provides that information held by
the BBC and the other public service broadcasters is only covered by the Act if it is held for ‘purposes
other
than those of journalism, art or literature” 1. The BBC is not required by the Act to supply information held
for the purposes of creating the BBC’s output or information that supports and is closely associated with
these creative activities; however, on this occasion we’re happy to provide the above information in
response to your request.
Appeal Rights
The BBC does not offer an internal review when the information requested is not covered by the Act. If you
disagree with our decision you can appeal to the Information Commissioner. Contact details are:
Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF telephone
01625 545 700.
http://www.ico.gov.uk
Yours sincerely,
Stephanie Harris
Head of Accountability, BBC News
1 For more information about how the Act applies to the BBC please see the enclosure at the end of this letter.
Please note that this guidance is not intended to be a comprehensive legal interpretation of how the Act applies to the
BBC.
Freedom of Information
From January 2005 the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2000 gives a general right of access to all
types of recorded information held by public authorities. The Act also sets out exemptions from that
right and places a number of obligations on public authorities. The term “public authority” is defined
in the Act; it includes all public bodies and government departments in the UK. The BBC, Channel 4,
S4C and MG Alba are the only broadcasting organisations covered by the Act.
Application to the BBC
The BBC has a long tradition of making information available and accessible. It seeks to be open and
accountable and already provides the public with a great deal of information about its activities. BBC
Audience Services operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week handling telephone and written
comments and queries, and the BBC’s website bbc.co.uk provides an extensive online information
resource.
It is important to bear this in mind when considering the Freedom of Information Act and how it
applies to the BBC. The Act does not apply to the BBC in the way it does to most public authorities in
one significant respect. It recognises the different position of the BBC (as well as Channel 4 and S4C)
by saying that it covers information “held for purposes other than those of journalism, art or
literature”. This means the Act does not apply to information held for the purposes of creating the
BBC’s output (TV, radio, online etc), or information that supports and is closely associated with these
creative activities.
A great deal of information within this category is currently available from the BBC and will continue
to be so. If this is the type of information you are looking for, you can check whether it is available on
the BBC’s website bbc.co.uk or contact BBC Audience Services.
The Act does apply to all of the other information we hold about the management and running of the
BBC.
The BBC
The BBC's aim is to enrich people's lives with great programmes and services that inform, educate
and entertain. It broadcasts radio and television programmes on analogue and digital services in the
UK. It delivers interactive services across the web, television and mobile devices. The BBC's online
service is one of Europe's most widely visited content sites. Around the world, international
multimedia broadcaster BBC World Service delivers a wide range of language and regional services
on radio, TV, online and via wireless handheld devices, together with BBC World News, the
commercially-funded international news and information television channel.
The BBC's remit as a public service broadcaster is defined in the BBC Charter and Agreement. It is the
responsibility of the BBC Trust (the sovereign body within the BBC) to ensure that the organisation
delivers against this remit by setting key objectives, approving strategy and policy, and monitoring
and assessing performance. The Trustees also safeguard the BBC's independence and ensure the
Corporation is accountable to its audiences and to Parliament.
Day-to-day operations are run by the Director-General and his senior management team, the
Executive Board. All BBC output in the UK is funded by an annual Licence Fee. This is determined and
regularly reviewed by Parliament. Each year, the BBC publishes an Annual Report & Accounts, and
reports to Parliament on how it has delivered against its public service remit.
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