What is best for the BBC is to maintain their hard won reputation for impartiality. They don't have to answer to proprietors with axes to grind, and although successive governments do try and lean on them, history suggests they have an excellent record of resisting such pressure. Their responsibility is to the British public (this is after all public service broadcasting we are talking about) and they have by and large fulfilled that responsibilty to the highest standards.
And a measure of their impartiality is that successive governments of both flavours have damned them for anti-government bias. Vin
Yeah about that responsibility to the British public.... The BBC like any other company are only after what is best for them. They may seem impartial but they aren't. I am not saying they choose to suck up to various Governments.
The BBC aren't a private company though. Their aim in life isn't to maximise profits like NewsCorp or other media organisations, so what's best for the BBC is completely different from what's best for Sky, or NBC, or anyone else. They are a public service corporation operating under a Royal Charter to provide public sector broadcasting and the terms of the charter state they have to be politically impartial. They are under constant scrutiny from all sides to maintain this, so I don't think they would get away with it for very long if they weren't.
You really don't think the BBC care if we leave the EU or not? As I said before this isn't the same as being close to one party or another.
The BBC will remain tied to Europe whatever happens, through being part of the European Broadcasting Union. I haven't got a clue whether staying or leaving will in itself affect them but the terms of the charter shouldn't change significantly, why should it?
I think Murdoch is doing a great job of denigrating Corbyn and demonising the Labour party for Cameron in exchange for Cameron destroying the BBC for Murdoch. It is called reciprocal altruism which is generally a good thing but in this case it stinks.
That will certainly be used as a stick to beat the BBC with for a long time to come. I don't really have an answer to that, except to say that it will still be a tragic loss if a great British institution is allowed to die a lingering death. In my opinion.
And it should be. It wouldn't surprise me if more are found to be there. I don't want BBC to go or to change to a advert channel. I just disagree that they are impartial.
I don't believe it's fair to brandish an organisation or company as a single entity. Their made up of individuals who will have all the flaws of humanity. It's not just at the BBC where Saville carried out his abuses and got away with it. As we've discussed a little on the AJ thread. Times have changed in regards to the publics awareness on sex abuse and now no one is considered beyond reproach. Whether they're a celebrity or in the clergy
Every company is judged by the humans that run it. The top people of the BBC chose to cover it up and still do. No one chose to speak up for the poor children involved not even the people working close to Saville. I am not saying the every one who works for the BBC knew what was happening. But the BBC as a company is to blame for Saville (and others) getting away with it. It's like when a bank ****s up, the bank is accountable for that **** up, not just the person. As is the BBC and other places he was allowed to abuse his victims. This is going off topic so I will leave it there.
Totally agree. In some ways the BBC hadn't changed from when it first started. I have a few BBC Scrapbooks from the early radio years. These are BBC publications that showed you what happened behind the scenes and how the BBC and the broadcasting culture of the earlier years was. Very interesting they are too. It's not too inaccurate to say that the BBC was still a bit like a cosy family/gentlemen's club. Anything that went on within the building stayed within the building. In many instances that kind of culture works, but when it gets tainted and it covers up for crime then that culture has gone way too far. Thus Saville, Hall and Co, found themselves in the perfect environment to do their stuff, safe in the knowledge that they were members of the BBC family, and even though they were black sheep, they would be covered for. Thankfully, the gentlemen's club attitude is disappearing. The good things about the BBC remain as amongst the best there is. The bad things need to go as soon as possible. As the BBC is something of a political football at the moment [sorry], I feel it's OK in this thread.
Surely all of us that watch the bbc will have our own political bias and see their reports accordingly. They will always be kicked about from either side as latterly in my view they have lost their skill at seemingly keeping an unbiased perspective. That is probably because some of their high profile reporters are often seen at demonstrations etc which usually means that the public know their political bias. I have often thought this during political debates where they are chairing discussions from all sides. (Question time may be a good example) under those circumstances it has to be difficult for the bbc not to be seen as biased one way or tother.
The Beeb used to have some pretty good political editors, in my opinion. For example in recent decades, Irishman John Cole, and John Sergeant, famous for being caught by Margaret Thatcher while broadcasting, and turning to say this is the microphone Mrs Thatcher. Those guys never showed their political bias. Then in came Nick Robinson and the standard dropped alarmingly. So much so that it gave me the thought that journalist opinion was not to be trusted in any political sphere. From then on I began to take in the political news and not wait for the editorial opinion. I decided to make up my own mind. So Robinson's poor standard actually made me think for myself a bit more. Perhaps I should be grateful, though really he's been a disservice to his trade overall.
Totally agree.......I was trying to remember the reporters you mentioned as I was writing but couldn't bring them to mind......I think it's me age.....oh shuddup.......
Couldnt agree more ref your comments on Nick Robinson. Smarmy self opinionated editor who def did the BBC a disservice. Shame as i have always valued the BBC's news programs, and they are still a respected & believed source of factual news around the world.
