Give the BBC credit for deciding to cut services, says director-general

The BBC should be given credit for making decisive choices to invest in its future, director-general Mark Thompson said last night.

Speaking at the Bob Friend Memorial lecture at the University of Kent, Thompson defended the corporation's plans to axe two digital radio stations and cut the size of its website by outlining plans to improve specialist areas of news.

Announced earlier this week as part of a strategic review of the BBC, the proposed cuts would reduce the BBC's online budget by a quarter and its website staff by a quarter.

"You have to make choices and all I will say is quite often the BBC is criticised for not making choices. At least give us credit for saying we think it’s the right thing to do to stop doing something," said Thompson.

The director-general told attendees that the BBC would invest in more specialist coverage, such as science and religion, international newsgathering and current affairs journalism. He stated that BBC wants to enhance political coverage by "opening up politics to the public", adding that the upcoming televised leader debates should generate "intense public interest" in political news.

He referred to an "increasing market failure" in children's content and suggested that cuts in other areas could be used to fund more quality children's content.

In front of a audience of student journalists, Thompson went on to address the rapid changes in the "ecosystem of journalism" and emphasised the growing importance of social media for news organisations.

The BBC believes that social networks are going to play an increasingly critical role in the way people debate world issues, he said. He added that this was good news for student journalists, as media organisations are going to need "people among them who are part of these new generations and understand this media from the inside rather than the outside".

Rebecca Hughes is a student at the Centre for Journalism, University of Kent. Twitter: @beccihughes.

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