Throughout the 100-year history of the BBC, a fierce debate has raged about how, in the words of its founder, John Reith, it should uphold its public service mission to “inform, educate and entertain”. To what extent should it focus on competing with commercial rivals for viewers – the viewers who, after all, pay for it through their licence fee? Or should it, instead, prioritise programming in the public interest that would not otherwise happen?
If there were ever an area where doggedly pursuing what’s not in the commercial interest of others should be front and centre of the BBC’s remit, it is news. At its best, public service news broadcasting is a vital part of the fourth estate, of a democracy where the powerful are held to account without fear or favour. But the BBC’s announcements last week about cuts to its news programming reveal its most senior executives do not attach enough value to its public service remit.
