4 w. ago
The BBC tells the story of Britain in a way Netflix simply cannot. In the year to come, please remember that | Tony Hall
I love many shows on the streaming channels, but the BBC is our storyteller. It defines a nation and its culture – and we must defend itTony Hall was director general of the BBC between April 2013 and August 2020Don’t let President Trump cloud the real debate about the BBC. Of course, his demand for damages of no less than $5bn has dominated our thinking about the corporation over the past few weeks, as has its cause. But let’s get this into perspective. This was a serious own goal and journalists make mistakes. Salvation in this case would have been a line of script between the clips, or once a mistake had been discovered, a very speedy public acknowledgment. Now, though, the BBC is right not to yield on this. It has apologised. And, unlike other broadcasters and institutions in the United States, it doesn’t need the president’s support. This is a chance to demonstrate the BBC’s independence. Fight on.But we must not let this cloud the debate here about the sort of BBC we all want ...
Politics