This is a guest post by Marcellus.
I have a suggestion.
I have much respect for the impressive work that Biased BBC is doing to expose the symptoms of BBC misuse of their immense power and influence.
I put it to you, however, that we have all shouted and complained long enough. We have listed, exposed, analysed, discussed for a very long time. We KNOW that there is a terrible problem.
We have talked enough. The time for talking is over. We now need to DO something about this menace.
My suggestion is this: that Biased BBC now develop an active campaigning arm to push for SPECIFIC reform.
I am not suggesting that you change anything that you are currently doing, and doing very well. No certainly not, I am merely suggesting that there is an ADDITION to your operations.
This suggestion would have been pointless just 10 or so short days ago, but now the Brown government has been removed. Now there are people in power who are more likely to listen to the complaints and have the power to be able to make the necessary changes. Jeremy Hunt is now in charge of this field of government and whereas (from personal experience) I have to be convinced that he understands the problem and knows what specific reforms are needed, he does at least have the power to act.
Perhaps Mr Hunt should be assisted by the blogosphere in seeing where reforms should be made.
I suggest that there is a set of specific proposals advocated by Biased BBC to reform the news and current affairs output of the BBC, which they then promote and demand to be effected by the government. I am suggesting therefore that Biased BBC should become a next generation campaigning site actively using the internet to put pressure on the government.
The greatest abuse is in the field of news and current affairs and so accordingly, although I am aware of the concern in connection with other output, I am suggesting that there should be an initial concentration on the production of news and current affairs, rather than aim at too many targets and become weak and diffuse.
Initially there could be a draft set of Proposals issued and publicised by Biased BBC and opened up for discussion and comment.
Accordingly here is a first effort, a very rough draft of such “Proposals for Reform of BBC News”.
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It is astonishing in a modern information-based democracy that we allow a small clique of unelected, unrepresentative, self-appointed, uncontrolled and unaccountable people to control the most awesome mind-controlling and influencing power in the history of mankind and to shamelessly manipulate the only news that most people will hear.
Labour was famed for misusing power for party advantage and the BBC was no exception. By ruthlessly selective staff recruitment and promotion the BBC was turned into an immensely powerful Labour Party propaganda weapon. A political attack dog; trained to promote and protect the Labour Party at all times. Well, the master has now gone, but the attack dog is still there, and it is now completely out of control. (See article by Daniel Hannan about his recent experience with the BBC).
Indeed many would argue that this misuse of BBC power has been the critical means whereby Labour has been able to hang on to power for so long and be able to cause the damage to and corrosive degeneration of every aspect of our society that they have done.
For an indepth analysis of the methods used to promote Labour see here.
The BBC has been turned into a campaigning organisation selling political messages and supporting specific politicians. This is not an acceptable role for the BBC.
We must ensure that never again can the immense power of broadcasting be prostituted for narrow party advantage – any party.
The BBC must be made completely INDEPENDENT from politicians, for the politicians really cannot be trusted.
The BBC has always looked to the government for all things, who consequently have had much influence over the BBC. This must change. We need the BBC to look now to the people who pay the TV Licence fee for their authority, instructions and entitlement to operate, not the government – we are their shareholders and they must obey us.
The BBC is hugely influential and is pre-eminent in forming our culture. The moral and other values of society are being created every day by the BBC.
We should not allow this power to be in the unaccountable hands of a clique with unrepresentative and often extreme views. We should be sure that such immense power is in the hands of people worthy of the trust.
At present we have no influence or control at all.
The staff at the BBC seem to have developed the view that they are entitled to educate us. The problem is that they perceive this “educating” role as forcing their personal views on any subject and the discouragement of any alternate view.
These self-appointed “teachers” may consider that they are specially enlightened and above the vast majority of the public, but in reality they are human too – full of personal weaknesses and prejudices based on their upbringing and the hurts that life has inflicted on them. This causes them to filter out facts which do not fit the view they WANT to hold, giving them an imperfect and incomplete understanding of issues. They may have strong intellects but that does not guarantee wisdom. The frequent result of all this is that they display marked intolerance and impatience of the views of others if they differ from their own; they consider that their views should prevail on “their” programmes and that views differing from their own should not be given the oxygen of publicity. This does not make them bad people, merely human – but we certainly do not want these people to have total power over what we are told about and (almost as important) HOW we are told.
The limited and imperfect opinions of the “teacher” should not be passed on to the “taught” as unquestionable TRUTH. The dividing line between that and indoctrination (and even brainwashing) becomes uncomfortably narrow.
This Moses Complex of the staff at the BBC can lead to the enforcement of cast iron orthodoxies. The trouble with orthodoxies, is that they can be wrong. But these BBC people would try to stop us finding out they were wrong. This is particularly so in the field of politics and current affairs.
The point here is that no small group should have a permanent virtual stranglehold over information available to us – such power will ALWAYS be abused.
The best way to avoid this disagreeable monoculture is to ensure we have many sources of information equally available – and so get the benefits of best practice obtained through benign competition.
Armed with total power, Labour ensured that its party donors and close allies were appointed to the key jobs of Director General and Chairman.
(For a detailed listing of the many unhealthy links between the state broadcaster and Labour see here)
It is not reasonable in a modern democracy that the immense and unprecedented power of broadcasting is controlled by people who are appointed in secret. Why should these people be appointed in secret? Secrecy inevitably means corruption and abuse. After our experience of the BBC under Labour, we no longer assume integrity.
This secrecy enables the BBC to recruit only fellow “believers” and this perpetuates the BBC as a ghetto. Other excellent people with a great amount to offer are not given the opportunity to give their services, and the public lose the benefit of their contribution.
News is not entertainment. Broadcast news programmes are a service to the public provided as part of a broadcaster’s obligations under their Licence or Charter, not another entertainment show. The use of the Political Correspondent (presented as totally honest and a friend of the anchor) and other sources of “expert opinion” is being abused to give the BBC the final word on a political story in order to influence the viewer into adopting the BBC’s view on it; that is not the BBC’s function.
Working in broadcasting is a privilege not a right. It gives a person immense power and opportunity for mischief, manipulation, abuse and personal financial gain – just as working as a solicitor, doctor, midwife or accountant does. Such work should be recognised as important and be elevated to the level of a profession.
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The digital broadcasting infrastructure should be opened up to many other independent news providers – as the BT infrastructure was opened up.
The technology is there to transmit many simultaneous programmes at any one time. A sufficient sum should be allocated out of the TV Licence money received by the BBC from us to make any necessary adjustments to the broadcasting infrastructure to enable the broadcasting of many independent news programmes at the same time as BBC News programmes. We choose which news programme we want to watch by way of a remote. It is a better use for the Licence money than chauffeur-driven cars or air trips for the senior staff.
Since the BBC is owned by the nation and we pay the running costs by means of the TV Licence, the BBC must use its broadcasting infrastructure in accordance with our requirements. And we require that it is used in this way.
The BBC Trust and the Director General should be elected, not appointed – just as Chief Constables are now to be elected.
The term of office should not exceed two years in length.
Procedures should be set up to allow and enable people from outside the BBC to stand for election.
We should have the right to see the manifestos of the candidates wishing to be the new Director General or a Trustee. We should then have the ability to ask the candidates what their policy and view was on specific matters.
The BBC’s procedures for appointing staff to key posts should be opened up to public gaze and scrutiny and made more accountable to the electorate.
For key and sensitive jobs in the news and current affairs department, it should be possible for the public to add candidates to the short list. We do not accept that “only insiders know best” – it is the insiders who have abused the system.
Advertisements for ALL posts should also be on the web. The people who compile the shortlists and members of the appointing panel should be named and their own posts disclosed together with any financial or personal interests. Reasons should be given for the inclusion of any applicant on the shortlist for any senior post and this should be published on the web.
Full reasons for any appointment should be disclosed in writing.
Procedures should be set up to allow and enable people from outside the BBC to apply for any post with provision for redress for any such person if treated unfairly compared to an existing BBC employee.
Opinion should not be confused with information. Broadcast news programmes should not contain opinion from BBC journalists or from “experts” or “random” members of the public or from anyone; merely the facts. We are able to form our own opinions. There should be specific Comment programmes with safeguards as to balance, and then specific news information programmes.
Each individual member of staff is, by contract of employment or engagement, to be made PERSONALLY responsible for the truthfulness, fairness, honesty and accuracy of what they write, do and say – with sanctions imposed against them PERSONALLY for any breach.
These professional standards should provide, inter alia, for the following:
1. All staff are to comply with a CODE OF STANDARDS; this will cover such things as-
(1) Personal ethics and behaviour
(2) Professional competence
(3) A legal duty requiring fairness, honesty and openness
2. A REGISTER OF INTERESTS (published in real time on the web) where all financial benefits received or given and membership of or affiliation to or association with or assistance given to any political organisation (such as a political party, pressure group, trade union, campaigning charity or indeed Common Purpose) have to be disclosed.
3. DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURES for dealing with any breach with powers of imposing monetary fines and/or dismissal and/or subsequent prohibition (temporarily or permanently) from being employed by or being a contractor for, any broadcaster broadcasting to this country.
The disciplinary procedures of the Law Society and the Institute of Chartered Accountants give an excellent precedent or template. The members of the disciplinary tribunal should not be employees of the BBC.
Any member of the public should be able to initiate a complaint.