uncertain, more complex. The need for accurate information is as acute as ever. Few national organisations are in a position to provide a full range of news and analysis, either because they do not have the resources, or because of restrictions on press and broadcasting, or because of lack of knowledge, expertise and experience. At the same time, the great national news agencies are, mainly for economic reasons, reducing the range and depth of their worldwide coverage. The nature of the news which people want to know is changing too, so that in addition to events, people want to know about subjects, particularly those (like economics and the environment) which span many countries.
It is our firm intention to ensure that World Service develops this key role of global provider of news, both in the English and the vernacular services. This will be done through a number of means, but particularly in building up our range of overseas news-gathering and production operations: we are proposing to strengthen and establish news and programme-making offices in some key centres like Moscow and Johannesburg. Various proposals are mentioned in our regional strategy sections, and they are brought together in the section on news and news-gathering since each serves to enhance the overall variety, richness and depth of our journalism.
We shall also be looking at ways to improve other central supply departments which provide information for the whole World Service, and we are looking in particular at building up the provision of science, industry and environmental reports as well as creating our own business/financial unit and widening our sports coverage.
Funding the Changes
We do not propose that Government fund all the Prescription changes with new money. In recent years we have broken the old assumed equation: Additional Prescription Additional Grant in Aid. Some changes we would aim to fund from our normal priority budgeting process. We shall, however, be seeking some new monies in key areas of development, including the further enhancement of our journalism.
We do not, in any case, expect that Government will decide next year, in the likely economic circumstances, to fund all the proposals we have developed. As in our last Triennium submission, we are setting out a number of things which we believe are important and give value for money for Britain. Taken together, they form a coherent plan as part of our WS2000 Strategy; taken individually, each would yield benefits, and each would be a step towards achieving the total strategy. We expect, as during the last Triennium negotiations, to find the best way forward in consultation with the FCO.
We are already putting more monies into marketing and research, but both activities require additional funds (bid for, but not provided in the last Triennium
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