BBC News in the United States: a 'super-alternative' news medium emerges

This article focuses on BBC News and its changing role in the United States. Recent developments suggest that a new, powerful hybrid BBC is emerging in the United States. This article examines a number of 'faces' the BBC presents to the United States. To its traditional and universal faces the BBC has added a new face: as a 'super-alternative' news/information source in the United States, carrying an aura of credibility that sets it apart from US mainstream news media. It is the BBC's 'multifaceted' nature, its reputation for honesty and integrity, and its independence from US political forces, that allows it to be considered in this way. This provides an attractive package for many US news consumers and, potentially, a powerful combination for influencing US public opinion.