A broadcast is a television, radio, or data transmission intended for public reception.
Use of broadcasts
To gauge public opinion on a topic or the facts of a story, watching or listening to a television or a radio programme can be a valuable source in your research. However, you’ll need to consider various factors which will provide clues as to how reliable the information is.
What to look out for:
Audience
- Who was the programme intended for?
Authority
- Who produced the programme?
- On which channel was the programme available?
- How is the channel funded?
In the UK, neutrality is the aim of most terrestial news channels while documentaries and other programmes may have an agenda.
Currency
- When was the programme transmitted?
- Does this have a bearing on the bias or the tone of the programme?
If you are looking for contemporary opinion on a topic, the date it was transmitted would be important to note.
Evaluating the programme using the criteria above should inform your opinion on its usefulness as a source for your research.
Activity
How much do you know about the television channels you watch?
In this activity you need to match a series of statements to the right TV channel.
Average completion time:
2 minutes
Useful links
Ofcom is an independent organisation which regulates the UK’s broadcasting, telecommunications and wireless communications sectors. This covers all UK commercial television and radio services.
For more information about its broadcasting code, go to
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv/ifi/codes/bcode/See one of the first April Fool’s Day spoofs on television at http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/1/newsid_2819000/2819261.stm