Talk:British Broadcasting Corporation

Redirect

Should BBC redirect here? Would seem logical. G7mzh 13:59, 13 April 2007 (EDT)

Bias

The source used to justify the statement that the BBC has a political bias is a newspaper which itself has a political bias (of the opposite extreme). That's mad. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Ferret (talk)

By its charter, the BBC is required to be impartial (which was e.g. an issue in the Hutton Inquiry); this - of course - is difficult to achieve and often leads to the accusation of being biased. IMHO, it would be useful to add this information into the text. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Gux (talk)

Good idea. Please go ahead and add it.--Aschlafly 15:00, 15 May 2007 (EDT)

I agree - it gets into just as much trouble with Labour governments as with Tory ones. To say it has an inherent liberal bias is misleading I think. Successive governments have taken a soft line on this because they understand that nobody wants a state broadcaster which feels unable to be critical of the government - that's the sort of thing that happens in dictatorships not in modern democracies. Ferret 09:16, 16 May 2007 (EDT)

I object to the liberal euphemism "license fee" instead of tax. The BBC gets revenues from a mandatory, govt-enforced tax on everyone with TV, regardless of whether they watch the BBC. That is a tax. Why call it a fee? RSchlafly 18:33, 29 May 2007 (EDT)

Licence fee is the official name for it. Only people who watch television have to pay it. We have many types of licence, for which a flat fee is payable, fishing, driving, pilot. It is the generally accepted term in the UK. Gerrard 18:46, 29 May 2007 (EDT)

In the USA and the rest of the world, it is called a tax. RSchlafly 18:51, 29 May 2007 (EDT)

I don't see the relevance of stating that Americans don't understand the funding structure of the British Broadcasting Corporation. Chrysogonus 19:13, 29 May 2007 (EDT)

Strictly doesn't tax go to the government? All the lecnise fee goes to the BBC. The government don't get any of it. DollarsAndSense 18:52, 29 May 2007 (EDT)

The BBC is an agency of the UK government. Yes, the government collects a tax from the UK residents with TVs, and disburses the tax money to the BBC. Some British citizens don't like to admit that they get their news from official government radio and TV, but that's the way it is. RSchlafly 22:51, 29 May 2007 (EDT)

The BBC is an autonomous public corporation established by a royal charter, in a similar way to many universities and professional bodies. It's an 'emanation of the state', but not part of the government. The distinction between state and government might be hard to fathom for those more familiar with the situation in the USA where state and government are often seen as synonymous. --Jalapeno 04:42, 30 May 2007 (EDT)

I don't know what "liberal euphemism" means. The television licence fee is collected by (a company under contract to) the BBC, and is used solely to finance the corporation. None of it is collected by, or given to, the government. The BBC is not a state organisation; it guards its independence staunchly.

To say the BBC is financed by a tax gives the incorrect impression that the money is supplied by government funds. G7mzh 10:10, 30 May 2007 (EDT)

And some Americans don't like to admit that they get their news from for-profit corporations whose mandate is to increase shareholder wealth, but that's the way it is. Sevenstring 22:53, 29 May 2007 (EDT)

This is slightly OT, but I have issues with people who complain about taxes. RSchlafly - do you not believe in your country? If you believe in it, and want to be a member of it, you must pay taxes. Otherwise you are a non-functioning member of society. Feichineejits 23:13, 29 May 2007 (EDT)