MPs take advantage of the BBC talking about the BBC to talk about the BBC John Crace

about 4 years in The guardian

Parliament seemingly likes the broadcaster more than it likes itself, which wouldn’t be hard
Over the past few days it’s been hard to avoid news and current affairs programmes in which one member of the BBC is talking to another member of the BBC about just how badly the BBC has acted over Martin Bashir’s interview with Diana, Princess of Wales, and what actions can be taken to make sure the BBC never makes the same mistakes again and how the BBC can regain the trust of the public. It’s almost become a cottage industry worthy of its own separate BBC channel.
So once the BBC stops making programmes examining its own failings, it might be surprised to find out that most MPs seem to have a higher opinion of the BBC than the BBC has of itself. Which isn’t to say they are blind to its failings. Indeed in his answer to an urgent question from Julian Knight, chair of the culture select committee, the junior culture minister John Whittingdale was at pains to spell out just how far the BBC had fallen below the standards expected of it in the way the Diana interview had been obtained, along with the subsequent cover-up and reappointment of Bashir in 2016. Continue reading...

Mentioned in this news
Share it on