Bumbling Broadcast Corp.

Washington Times ^ | 2/04/04 | Helle Dale

[kattracks]

Whatever happened to the venerableBritish Broadcasting Corp.? The BBC used to be known the world over for bringing you the truth, as told by gentlemen. But it has fallen, and fallen hard. The case of the BBC vs. the Blair government reminds us why the world has moved beyond state monopolies. They are inefficient, can be blinded by arrogance and often have an exaggerated sense of their own power. Nowhere is this truer than in the world of media, a profession that is crowded with big egos in any event.

[Poundstone]

There's no question that today's BBC is a hollow shell of its former self. The only sane thing to do is deny its charter in 2006, end the ridiculous license fee system that helps make the UK a laughingstock, and throw the BBC into the same free-market arena as every other media corporation. Then it will be sink or swim time for the Beeb.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

The case of the BBC vs. the Blair government reminds us why the world has moved beyond state monopolies. They are inefficient, can be blinded by arrogance and often have an exaggerated sense of their own power. Nowhere is this truer than in the world of media, a profession that is crowded with big egos in any event.

What else would one expect, but that those attracted to the entertainment media would be people with an elevated view of their own importance? What else would one expect, but that those attracted to the socialist government would be people with an elevated view of their own importance?

All of which should call into question the BBC's reporting during the Iraq War. It was unrelentingly hostile toward the allied forces and became known here as the Baghdad Broadcasting Corp. Of course, this was not an unknown phenomenon here in the United States. But in Britain, the BBC has a unique lock on the power to shape public opinion. A shake-up should be focused on getting the corporation back to basics — through competition and privatization. After all it is the job of the media to report the news — "get it right and get it first" as this newspaper's editor in chief, Wesley Pruden, likes to say — not to promote its own agendas.

The claim is made that journalism is not as uniformly socialist in Europe as it is in America. That certainly seems ironic in the context of the necessity socialists have faced here to continually rebrand their product, trying to outrun the reputation their actual policies merits--"social"ism was deceptive enough in Europe, suggesting social processes rather than government coercion--but here it had to be rebranded "liberalism" (originally meaning the opposite of tyranny), and that brand has degenerated into "the L-word" so they now try to call socialism "progressive" or "moderate" politics. It seems odd to me that our journalists can uniformly be socialist--that is, "mainstream" journalists consistently wage propaganda war on the idea that a conservative such as Rush Limbaugh might be considered a journalist--yet that socialism is accepted under its own name in Europe.

Why Broadcast Journalism is
Unnecessary and Illegitimate

[imintrouble]

About ten years ago I saw an televised "homage" to the BBC on my local PBS outlet taking a tour through its "workings" venerating its operating staff, the wonderful authentic London sets, costume and props collections, the directorship and on air "news" personalities.

Viewing it from an American perspective I thought "well I guess they don't have much else to puff up except the monarchy and left it there, not realizing what a brain clutch they seem to have on the public (more government-dictated monopolism).

What was most interesting to me was their constant drinking on the job, which they thought nothing of showing the public and I am not a prude by any means...but: There were champagne breaks, champagne after the live shows congratulations all-round, drinks setups in the executive offices, drinks setups in the board rooms, drinks for lunch, and no doubt DRUNKS for after work before they hauled themselves home for more pre-dinner drinks.

If these stalwart messengers can type legibly, compose reports, make decisions affecting many people, ascertain the NEWS is totally accurate by 4pm "tea" time, I commend them for their great livers. But what of their news content? Who knows. Nobody ever questioned them.

But, isn't Britain home to the original daily 'tabloid' press as well?

So, the minds of the British people are being dictated by a group of drunks and "progressives" ha!

One more commentary on this. I also watched the government inquiry (or savaging) of Dr. Kelley, and one could see the agony in his presentation and hear it in his voice. I didn't know it at the time, but I thought, "here is an honorable man who is being ruined in front of the world." He apparently felt the same. Yet there is the ongoing question of the authentic suicide - or not.