Sunday, 30 October 2011

Peter Oborne

Peter Oborne is the Daily Telegraph's chief political commentator.

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OCTOBER 26TH, 2011 23:44

Coming to the BBC, an everyday story of


bias and falling standards

Lord Patten outside Broadcasting House, Portland Place (Photo: Geoff Pugh)

The corporation has fine values. It must act swiftly to stop their further erosion

There are very few institutions – maybe only the monarchy, the Armed Forces and Parliament – that express what it means to be British more than the BBC. The state broadcaster enjoys a very privileged place indeed at the heart of our national conversation. But this, in turn, means that there is an implicit deal between it and the British people.

On the one hand, the BBC is funded by public money and given a semi-monopoly of broadcast news coverage. On the other, the BBC is by charter expected to reflect the British values of fair-mindedness, decency and tolerance.

Sadly, it is only very rarely that the BBC keeps its side of the bargain, and this negligence i… Read More