Defending the BBC through Dangerous Times

Pressure on the BBC continues from Donald Trump and his allies in the large right-wing sector of our own media. But as the Open Britain campaign implies, this is an attack on the heart of British political culture. (See address of article:)

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?tab=rm&ogbl#search/bbc+trump/FMfcgzQcqtkLKVPQTvwtcZPZTTdmFZMR

If you had to define  “British values”, the BBC would come near the top of the list, well ahead of John Major’s “warm beer and the sound of a cricket ball on willow.”

The reason is pretty clear: in a classic British social compromise, the BBC is charged with providing balanced and impartial coverage of news and current affairs, the essential building blocks of democracy. Unlike most of the British press, it does its best to separate Fact and Opinion.

In current affairs and political features, not every programme can be precisely balanced. But the aim is to achieve a balance in the overall content. And there will be a genuine attempt to reflect both left and right wing opinions, liberal and conservative social views: the same perennial arguments and conflicts that exist among our citizens. It’s a forum where you can hear both sides.

So how dare a foreign President try to intimidate our national broadcaster? Are Donald Trump and his lawyers going to redefine British cultural identity?

I used to work in BBC News. It was a welcome change from being a news editor on a local newspaper chain, where the pressure from the billionaire owner was to produce regular stories to discredit Labour councillors and MPs. But I found that the BBC was not immune to political pressures.

In the time of Margaret Thatcher, I was twice demoted for making radio news features which might have upset her party. One piece was broadcast on the Today programme. The other was never broadcast, blocked at a very senior level.

I understood then that the BBC is like a ship in a rough sea, and the main concern of the officer class is that the vessel itself should survive – even if some precious cargo has to be thrown overboard. The Corporation is always at risk of a major licence fee reduction, which could reduce its audience to the point where it becomes politically irrelevant. In my own crises, I accepted that the survival of the BBC was more important than my own immediate career.

The BBC board has to retain the broad support of the current government. But it also has to prepare to deal with the next one. Today that could quite possibly be Reform.  In general the BBC does as well as it humanly can, with both arms twisted, to provide a fair account of current affairs at the many different levels of its various outlets.

It also provides facts and analysis by seasoned professional journalists and correspondents. This is a vital defence against the misinformation and barmy conspiracy theories that circulate on social media. Much of that has been shown to come from foreign propaganda channels, trying to create divisions and muddy the waters of our democracy.

In terms of the specific mistake in the editing of Donald Trump’s speech: clearly an edit should have been signalled to the viewer. At the same time, most newsclips that we hear will have been similarly edited for clarity and impact. It only become obvious if there’s a video jump-cut on screen. Frequently the edit is bridged by a “cutaway shot”, inserted by a film editor, to make an easier, seamless watch.

The essence of news broadcasting is that it’s a tiny summary of the almost infinite material available. There are constant judgments being made about what details are worth including in order to convey the essential points of a story. Reporters and producers are always struggling to do that in a way that’s accurate and fair, without becoming pedantic and dull.

I think it’s unlikely that the main thrust of the Panorama film was misleading. Donald Trump continues to claim that the election he lost to Joe Biden was “stolen” and he pardoned the rioters who used violence to try to prevent the transfer of power. It’s an open question how far he respects the traditional rule of law and democratic principles.

The BBC is one of the crown jewels of British culture and our intellectual life. It is far from perfect but it is as good as human beings can make it. We need to defend it in changing times – and do a better job than the French in safeguarding their bling stolen from the Louvre!

I support Open Britain in its campaign and say that this is one key area of British values which we should never allow to be undermined by foreign political and commercial interests.

See the impressive Open Britain site at https://www.open-britain.co.uk/