BBC White Paper Announces Shift Away From 'Softer' News Stories - Here's What We'll Be Missing

No more skateboarding ducks.

In proposals set out in Thursday's White Paper on the future of the BBC, the government announced a raft of changes to the BBC.

From higher licence fees to charging for iPlayer access, there were a number of things which could drastically change the way Britons make use of the broadcaster's services.

Particularly interesting was the announcement of the intention for BBC journalists to move away from "softer" news.

A market impact report referenced in today’s White Paper confirms a “shift ... away from ‘softer’ news stories towards more in-depth analysis and explanation”.

BBC executives have agreed to reduce their magazine-style content, Richard Ayre, a Trust member, telling the Telegraph that the BBC should “leave the magazine content, the celebrity gossip, the skateboarding ducks, the games and the puzzles to other providers, who frankly can do it just as well, or better”.

We've rounded up some of sort of BBC stories which we could be saying goodbye to under the new proposal...

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We'll never know any more about Sgt Podge's comings and goings.
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We might never find out the story behind mysteries like this.
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Disasters like this will no longer be covered.
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People may have to find other ways of prioritising where to dine.
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We may not get any updates on stray animals' housing situations.
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We won't know when (frankly understandable) mistakes like this are made.
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We may never find out the fate of trapped amphibians.
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We won't get to hear the truth behind hard-hitting stories like this.
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We won't know where to look for role models.

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