Top 10 reasons why the BBC should be scrapped

Here is the first in our Top 10 series and we're going to start with aunty Beeb.
 
Many people still hold the BBC in high esteem. We can see that in surveys posted by the Press Gazette, the New Statesman, the Guardian Newspaper but most commonly by the BBC themselves. So we're going to offer 10 reasons why you shouldn't trust the BBC, and why, in our opinion, it would be best if the organisation were scrapped.
 

  
If you believe that these 10 issues are a price worth paying, then that's absolutely fine. We just want to make as many people as possible aware of what is going on at the Beeb.
 

 

10 Political Bias In Output

Although there's a host of topics we could look at, we're going to focus on the referendum campaign. There is a wealth of analysis looking at political bias within the BBC. From research done during the referendum by Professor John Robertson (see here) to his work following the vote (see here).

 

If you believe that the BBC isn't biased, then please look through the numerous examples found here.

Or read this article regarding the Scottish NHS.

Or watch this clip from the weekend before the referendum.

Or this video which was featured on the popular blog Tom's Pride and on international news channel Russia Today.
 
The BBC's response to all of this has been to determine itself as having done nothing wrong.
 

  
There are less blatent examples of bias. Consider the language the BBC used during the referendum. You can find examples of that here. Each individual case can usually be justified, but when done repeatedly, it takes on a more cynical purpose.

 

The BBC receives its money from people of differing political views. The fact that it cannot reflect this reality is justification enough to scrap the institution altogether, but unfortunately there are even more serious issues to examine.

 

9 Ties To Political Parties

Former Ambassador and Human Rights Activist Craig Murray did a lot of research into the links between the Scottish front of the BBC and the Labour Party. You can read that here. There is another list on the Gaius Marcellus blog here.

 

The 12 members who make up the BBC Trust are, indirectly, selected by the Government of the day (as was the case with the Board of Governors that proceeded them). You can see why this could be a problem.

    

We're don't expect every member of the BBC to be politically neutral, but former politicians and card carrying members shouldn't be made responsible for content. And one half of the Westminster Defence League employing someone from the other half isn't balance. It just results in those topics which the Tory and Labour Party agree upon receiving even less attention (indeed it is even worse as it has the pretense of balance).

  

8 Abuse Against Women

There has been many women who have suffered abuse on BBC property by BBC employees. Allegations have been made regarding prominent figures. Numerous former employees of the Beeb have claimed to be victims, with recorded evidence being editing out of broadcasts. Stories of girls being groped and panic buttons being introduced in BBC studios are slowly being revealed.

  

The reason for this behavour? In one instance it was apparently oysters. Yes, a BBC producer's excuse for attacking a female paramedic was bad oysters.

 

7 Dominates The Market

The BBC controls over 30% of viewing figures in the UK. This gives them tremendous influence, far more than any other media outlet.
  

 

This at first may appear to be less important than other topics raised in this blog, and in some cases and for victims and their families it is, yet this is at the heart of the BBC's power. To quote Douglas Schuler of the Pulbic Sphere Project:

Democratic societies rely on diversity of viewpoints and ideas for the intelligence, engagement, enthusiasm and wisdom that they need to stay alive. This is particularly important during this current era of globalization and critical public issues that require public engagement. At the same time people all over the world are receiving more and more of their information from the mass media which is becoming precipitously less diverse. The control of much of the world's media is becoming increasingly concentrated in a handful of giant corporations. - Source

We need diversity in our media and the BBC isn't helping.

 

6 Licence Fee Intimidation

There are lots of examples of intimidation used by 'Enforcement Officers'. You can find a whole bunch on the Active Resistance to the TV Licence Facebook page and on the Ban The BBC Youtube channel.
 

 

What makes this worse is that the BBC employs a third party company, Capita, to harass people in their own homes. It doesn't matter how much licence fee money the BBC pays to victims of their bullying, it won't stop until the BBC is scrapped.

 

And if you find yourself being visited by one of these people, there is a guide to your rights and possible responses here.
 
Perhaps the most worrying development regarding the licence fee is the use of anti-terror legislation to catch people who don't pay. This may not seem very important, but we need to consider that the BBC is gaining financially from using anti-terror legislation for non terror related matters. This should be declared to viewers whenever the organisation discusses new laws.

 

Part 2, containing numbers 5-1, can be found here!