Debunking the myth: Is the BBC really a ‘free’ public broadcaster?

The title of this book might appear quite startling to many; after all, the BBC has been widely perceived as the epitome of a liberal, independent, and trusted broadcaster around the world for many, many decades.  

A recent demonstration of the BBC's undisputed popularity could be seen in Bangladesh when in September 2022, the corporation announced discontinuing BBC Bangla Radio after running it for 81 long years. Almost everyone in the country was upset.   

But this book sheds light on the darker sides of the BBC being a "quango" by mastering the fine craft of broader subservience to the interests of so-called British political elites while slowly morphing from a small broadcasting service intended to create markets for radio technology to one of the pillars in modern 'public service' journalism in the course of a century.

First published in 2016, the cover of the first paperback edition is in yellow. One need not wonder what that colour signifies in professional journalism. 

In six chapters spanning over 200 pages, Dr Tom Mills, who is a lecturer of sociology and policy at Aston University in the UK, provides a thorough analysis and busts unhelpful "myths of public service" surrounding BBC's place in journalistic and socio-political discourses, for such efforts may aid in formulating models ensuring "more democratic and accountable news media" in general. 

Three chapters are dedicated to giving a coherent historical account on the mechanisms that have been exploited by various bodies "which in turn makes the BBC hopelessly vulnerable to more overt political pressure".  

These authoritative bodies would include but not be limited to: the cabinet, Downing Street, the foreign and commonwealth office (FCO, now FCDO), and, interestingly, intelligence agencies such as the MI5 (domestic) and MI6 (international). 

Dr Mills introduces a plethora of cases that illustrates the extent of surveillance, and in the process, reveals striking similarities between the BBC and "classically repressive organs" such as the British Metropolitan Police. 

Equally striking is the understanding of the proactive yet complex liaison between the BBC and secret services in terms of clever fabrication of news and stories, and vetting appointments — mostly the senior executives and editorials. The former, as Dr Mills discusses, served broader interests of the British political elites during international crises such as the Cold War, 9/11 and the Iraq invasion. 

He writes, "Political vetting was not just an isolated practice which barred certain individuals from working at the BBC. It was one element within a broader system of editorial control which subtly tied the culture of the BBC to the interests of elites." 

An important question in this regard is if the BBC operated on the basis of political biases — has it been 'liberal or left-leaning' anytime throughout its history, or leaned more towards being a 'centrist' if not 'right or conservative?' 

He argues that while the BBC somewhat enjoyed journalistic freedom for a short period during the 1960s and early 1970s, this would be much compromised later during the conservative leadership by Margaret Thatcher. 

"Margaret Thatcher's antipathy to the BBC was well known… From 1984, a coalition of forces — including prominent figures in the conservative government, most of all the prime minister herself — launched a seemingly unrelenting assault on the BBC that seemed to threaten its very survival." 

The entire process would include a "network of interconnected individuals, companies and private advocacy groups from a variety of backgrounds". 

Chapter five of the book includes an analysis of the series of events that took place during the second tenure of the Thatcherites — tailoring the BBC "from within" into the "corporation" it has taken the form to this day. 

The most noteworthy among these would be the 1986 "forced" resignation of the then "centrist" director general Alasdair Milne — followed by the "unashamedly authoritarian" leadership of John Birt, which saw the intertwining of an entirely public-funded media with the private sector. 

In regard to the dire sequels of compromised journalistic freedom, Dr Mills dedicated an entire chapter to discussing the BBC's role in establishing the now debunked myth of the weapon of mass destruction (WMD) that resulted in the Iraq invasion.  

"While it is true that the BBC did belatedly scrutinise the case of invading Iraq, it had failed to give proper weight to an anti-war opinion, and had focused overwhelmingly… on the views of politicians and officials rather than protestors."  

This followed after the paranoiac reform within the BBC had taken place as a result of the 29 May 2003 edition of the BBC Radio 4's flagship current affairs program Today. 

Sourced by the then Ministry of Defense weapons inspector Dr David Kelly, a story revealed that the 2002 dossier on Iraq's WMD had been "amended" to distort and heavily exaggerate the actual findings of the intelligence agencies. 

Dr Mills gives his insight into the entire incident that followed after the story had been published, and suggests that the reporting of the BBC during and after the invasion merely reflected internal conflicts within the British intelligence and cabinet regarding the factuality of the presence of WMDs.

This book bears a clear message that too often the values of liberal journalism or "public service" broadcasting are taken "for granted" during recognition in news media (such as the BBC) and their ideals – which must not be the case. 

The author writes, "The challenge ahead is rather to harness the expertise and creativity of workers to produce technology, information and culture freely available to us all. Such a programme of reform would mean radically transforming the structure of the BBC and its culture, tearing it away from the state and the corporate sector and placing it firmly in the sphere of civil society." 

This book is a potential eye-opener. 

On a side note, despite being derived from the author's doctoral thesis, the book is pleasantly articulate, easy-to-read and often has the feel of a thriller fiction.