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Reader questions, are the masses 'echoing the right-wing press'?
I remember as a small child the uproar about the 1971 BBC political documentary, Yesterday’s Men, which was critical of Harold Wilson’s outgoing Labour government. Wilson threatened the BBC with libel and the programme was never broadcast again in his lifetime.
Fast forward and culture secretary Lisa Nandy stood up in the House of Commons on Tuesday to defend the corporation – it is the first time I can remember anyone in that house doing so.
Thank you, Ms Nandy, for having the nerve to so do what few others have the courage to do. Reading the letters and listening to the views of some people nowadays is very worrying – are they echoing the right-wing press or expressing informed opinion?
Remembrance Day this week was surely a timely reminder that dictators must be challenged. Keith Turnbull, London
Reader says fascism is rising again, and we cannot let 400,000 British soldiers’ sacrifices ‘be in vain’
This week we have been remembering, among others, the almost 400,000 British military personnel who lost their lives during World War II, making the ultimate sacrifice to prevent fascism from taking over the world.
Looking at the world now, over in the US there are armed goon squads grabbing anyone who might technically not be American, detaining them and sending them to internment camps.
Here in Britain, refugees are stuck in B&Bs under siege from angry mobs scapegoating them for every manner of grievance in this country.
Across the world, the rich and powerful are replacing facts and reason with far-right disinformation, taking the problems they caused and pinning the blame on minorities and the underprivileged – all the while silencing people who dare to disagree.
Some 80 years ago, almost 400,000 Brits saw fascism rise up and laid down their lives to stop it. Now fascism is rising again. We cannot let their sacrifice be in vain. Caitlyn, Nottinghamshire
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‘The BBC must be defunded by the public’, says reader
Your writer Bill Curtis (Metro, Tue) and those who agree with him (MetroTalk, Wed) are surely having a laugh and taking the public for fools if they think we believe his ‘defence’ of the BBC.
He refers to president Trump as a ‘wannabe dictator’ and talks of the BBC being ‘occasionally’ pompous – its error in misrepresenting the president’s speech ‘a lapse of judgement’.
Is this his euphemistic way of saying the BBC is, as we know, very biased?
We all should have realised this over the years, especially in the way it misrepresents and doctors news about Israel, always pandering to the pro-Palestinian narrative and besmirching Israel and its IDF.
The BBC must be defunded by the public, be completely overhauled and use adverts for its funding.
The notion of retaining its ‘impartiality’ is a complete joke – it has long gone over to the Left.
I for one welcome Trump’s threatened $1billion lawsuit against it – it is long overdue. Andy Kyprios, London
Reader says ‘The BBC has upset people on both sides and has always tried to report on the facts
As ever it’s hilarious to see a right-winger such as Stefan (MetroTalk, Tue) claim the BBC has been ‘proven’ to be heavily left-leaning.
It’s a curious claim, given how often people have complained about it showcasing right-leaning views and political interviews favouring Reform UK and Tory guests.
The BBC has upset people on both sides and has always tried to report on the facts, rather than bending the knee to one side over the other.
But then the Right seem to find facts and accuracy as being ‘left-leaning views’.
I’m sure Stefan is much more comfortable with the likes of GB News, which panders to hate-filled Brits who need to be told what they need to be offended by, creating outrage and fuelling hate.Matthew, Birmingham
Stefan claims the BBC has a left-wing bias – he is wrong. The BBC is neither Left or Right; it is the mouthpiece of the state. George, London
Donald Trump talks of suing the BBC for $1billion over the Panorama fiasco, in which his speech was edited so as to sound as though he encouraged the Capitol Hill riots of January 2021.
The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, who presumably speaks for the president, claims the BBC is ‘100 per cent fake news’ and a ‘leftist propaganda machine’.
I would argue that unless she can prove these claims to be accurate, the BBC should be given leave to sue her – or both her and her boss – for uttering such an unfounded remark if it’s shown to be without substance or credibility.
I believe damages of $1billion should be sufficient compensation. Michael Harris, Manchester
Does the BBC’s reputation need to be restored?
Bill Curtis’s defence of the BBC is admirable but flawed.
I value a strong BBC but in recent years it has been hijacked by staff who have particular agendas or viewpoints. I can no longer trust it to always report news fairly or accurately.
Its apologies for misleading the viewer often come only after intense public pressure and usually long after the damage has been done.
It is absolutely right that somebody should be held to account.
That president Trump is the catalyst for change at the top rather than someone within the BBC is itself damning.
Somebody needs to get a firm grip and restore its reputation. Outgoing director general Tim Davie failed miserably in that regard. Iain Miller, London
‘As a right-winger, I am aware the licence fee curbs the power, profits and thus the reach of the BBC’, reader says
Margaret (MetroTalk, Wed) says the Right are against the BBC. I am right-wing and yet I am in favour of the licence fee.
Why? Because it stops the BBC competing. Consider how Sky has overtaken them, how Netflix has gone from nothing to even bigger than Sky.
The BBC could have ended up with an equally large share of an international market, were it not for the fact the iPlayer has to be free because of the licence fee and so is denied valuable ad revenue, which stops it being as big as it could be.
One day, a new director general will recognise the lost ground and ask the government to change the BBC model.
As a right-winger, I am aware the licence fee curbs the power, profits and thus the reach of the BBC.
And given the recent Trump debacle, that’s certainly a good thing and what I call ‘good value’ for £174.50 a year. Kevin, Lewisham
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