Opinion | Debunking, defunding or defending the BBC News in an age of disinformation

By Augustus K. Yeung

Introduction

When we were high-school boys in Hong Kong in mid 1960s, my twin brother and I would rush home during lunch hour, tune in to the BBC broadcasting, and brush up our British English which was our highly prized source of English learning.

Every day after school, I would go to the British Council Library where only books in English would satisfy this student who had had fallen in love with this beautiful language. This mode of learning British English continued until I left Hong Kong for the University of Toronto in 1968.

(There, while in Canada, I had been browsing books by Bertrand Russell, the Nobel laureate for literature, whose English was plain and beautiful as was his philosophy on futuristic education.)

Recently, the BBC has been catching on fire: First, in its highly controversial reporting on news in China. And now hopelessly splitting the public mind in Britain.

In the Spirit of Democracy, the Debate Continues:

"Auntie's being put through the wringer again. There has been a fresh round of calls this week to 'defund the BBC', following culture secretary Nadine Dorries's ham-fisted attempt to divert attention from the latest round of Downing Street "partygate" revelations by threatening to scrap the public broadcaster's licence fee – an idea from which she was later forced to retreat," writes Jemima Kelly. ("The BBC needs defenders in an age of disinformation." Financial Times. Thursday 20, 2022)

Attacks on the BBC came from All Sides

Attacks on the BBC came from all sides. "What I see and hear is a massive platform for every far-right blowhard who can generate some noise on social media, while almost everyone to the left of Keir Starmer is persona non grata," tweeted Guardian columnist George Monbiot.

At the other end of the spectrum, former Daily Telegraph editor Charles Moore – once the prime minister's boss – declared that the BBC has been behaving like "the Fox News of the Left". The broadcaster, Moore wrote, needed to show not just impartiality – which director-general Tim Davie has repeatedly said must be a priority – but "super-impartiality," whatever that might mean. GN News presenter Dan Wootton raged that during the pandemic "the BBC 's coverage has been nothing short of a disgrace".

"Such views are hardly borne out by the public, measured either by viewing or polling figures. In March 2020, when Britain went into its first lockdown, the BBC's nightly news audience soared to 15m. According to the broadcaster's latest annual report, 8 out of 10 British adults continue to use at least one BBC news service a week. The UK regulator Ofcom's latest report shows the BBC takes up seven spots in the top-20 most used news sources. More than two-thirds of the public say the BBC is effective at providing coverage that is "trustworthy", while 49 per cent cite the BBC as the source they turn to for news they most trust," writes Jemima Kelly.

Some, such as anti-Brexit campaigner and lawyer Jolyon Maugham, say such dominance is unhealthy, as it means the BBC can rely on residual trust rather than having to earn it. Maugham also complains that the BBC's survival is "contingent on pleasing those in power". But neither of these criticisms seem fair – the broadcaster is as often criticised for being too aggressive as it is for being too cosy with politicians.

Bad as BBC News is, it's Better than Its American Counterparts

The idea that getting rid of BBC News, as Maugham advocates, might somehow improve the media landscape is a fallacy. Part of the reason that the UK is less susceptible to online disinformation than some other countries is that the national broadcaster sets a high standard for others to follow.

"The truth is that the very fact the BBC is complained about so much by both sides of the political spectrum is proof that it is succeeding, at least to some extent, at providing balanced coverage. It is hard to imagine such denunciation from both sides in the highly polarized, commercially driven world of US media, where just 12 per cent of Republicans trust the Democrats' favourite CNN, and just 14 per cent of Democrats trust the Republicans' preferred Fox News," argues Jemma Kelly.

When misinformation proliferates online and seeps out into the real world, with echo chambers splintering people into tribes that struggle to understand each other, having a single source of truth, flawed as it might be, is something we shouldn't take for granted. "One of the fundamental principles of public service broadcasting is that it is universally available to all. This talk of getting rid of the licence fee and going to subscriptions by definition would lose that," says Patrick Barwise, co-author of The War Against the BBC and emeritus professor of management and marketing at London Business School.

"We need to leave Auntie alone – she's far from perfect, but our media landscape and, thus, our democracy, would surely be in much worse shape without her. That's something worth defending, not defunding," concludes Jemima Kelly. ("The BBC needs defenders in an age of disinformation". Financial Times. Thursday, January 20, 2022)

Conclusion

Regarding a public debate on a giant, in public service broadcasting, such as the BBC News, one must be honest and scholarly to all parties; here we have listened to the critics on both sides in Britain.

As whether to debunk, defund or defend, the reader can draw his/her own conclusions.

After the collapse of democracy in America (largely ruined by Trumpism), possibly causing a constitutional crisis, we now pin our hope on Great Britain, whose parliamentary debate as a model is worth believing and keeping.

The author is a freelance writer; formerly Adjunct Lecturer, taught MBA Philosophy of Management, and International Strategy, and online columnist of 3-D Corner (HKU SPACE), University of Hong Kong.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of DotDotNews.

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