ICO Decision Notice: BBC FOI Request

ICO Decision Notices

Filed March 5th, 2026

Detected March 10th, 2026

Summary

The UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has upheld the BBC's decision regarding a Freedom of Information (FOI) request for a 1978 broadcast. The ICO determined the information, if held, is for journalistic purposes and thus exempt from FOIA.

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What changed

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has issued a decision notice upholding the British Broadcasting Corporation's (BBC) position on a Freedom of Information (FOI) request concerning a 1978 Reporting Scotland broadcast. The ICO found that the information, if held by the BBC, is for the purposes of journalism, art, or literature, and therefore exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

As the ICO has upheld the BBC's position and requires no further steps, there are no immediate compliance actions or deadlines for regulated entities. This decision primarily clarifies the application of journalistic exemptions within FOIA for public sector broadcasters.

Source document (simplified)

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Date 5 March 2026
Sector Central government
Decision(s) FOI 3: Not upheld The complainant requested information from the BBC about a Reporting Scotland (16 May 1978) broadcast. The Commissioner’s decision is that this information, if held at all, is held by the BBC for the purposes of journalism, art or literature and so is not covered by FOIA. He therefore upholds the BBC’s position and requires no steps to be taken in this case.