Impartiality and Political Correctness

The British Broadcasting Corporation, (BBC)  does not need an introduction, specially to the English speaking countries.  A source of  true information, with its coverage all around the world with the Queen's English, has won over millions of die hard fans.  BBC has transformed itself to be the only source of information in some war torn countries, its Radio and TV have become lifelines to scores of information parched people.   BBC is known to stand for a number of values, many of them which have resonance in the secular world.  As the national broadcaster of Great Britain its USP is undoubted.  Seldom have people doubted the integrity and resourcefulness of BBC.  I should confess that I too belonged to that fan league till I listened to  Mr Mark Thompson, while he was in the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, Rome, speaking on 'Broadcasting and Civil Society.'  I just remembered the adage that springs from popular wisdom that all idols have to be adored from afar.  The more you come close to it, the more it disappoints you.

Mr Mark Thompson was thoroughness personified when he detailed about the policies, organizational structures and  the highs of the organization.  BBC was highlighted as a champion of the public space, impartiality written all over it, in fact reflecting a full range of views, satires, debates, etc.  Mr Mark was vocal on the assault on 'Public Service Broadcast' all over the world.  Add to it 110 journalists who lost their lives in the line of duty the picture is not definitely rosy. The royal charter of BBC declares its services as 'accurate, independent, impartial'.

But equally obvious is the role of BBC in sidelining quite a lot of issues.  Mr Thompson, a Catholic himself, was in  knots to explain his Catholic faith while working in a secular BBC ambience, hardly convincing anyone.  When he tried to bracket religion as  cultural outreach, a programme in the genre of culture,history and knowledge, I was witnessing the finesse of the idol of BBC crumbling.  Religion was a word he did not want to include in his programme but he did speak at great lengths to impress how BBC functioned like a well oiled machine. 

The questions from the audience did let the cat out, when he said that  an anti-Catholic bias 'may be case', the  real reason behind the devoted stand against Catholicism and religion.  Questioned about the impartiality of BBC even in a tail end section of the news,(Weather) he was not forthright with his comment.  When he proposed that they were impartial when it comes to British politics, he was admitting that like any other news broadcaster, that they had interests to be safeguarded, areas to be kept under the wraps, subjects that do not interest them, omissions of convenience and above all a compelling need to be politically correct.  Impartiality to the event and the person irrespective of the issue and the top guns in the managing board would do a lot to make BBC  stay on course with its royal charter.  Religion discussed openly in its forums without subduing to policies of political correctness would make it more appealing.  

Mr Mark personally seemed to be sincere in his approach to the Catholic Church. The broadcaster has  a history of rough and shoddy handling of Catholic Church. Will the forthcoming visit of Pope Benedict XVI  bring to light the secular dimension of BBC or is it going in for some real change? The Pope has been expressed his solidarity with the bishops of England against her culture of death.  The national broadcaster will have to find a right strategy during the Papal visit; the acceptance of the Anglicans and the war against secularism and the culture of death could be testing waters for the church of England and BBC, the national broadcaster of England.