Can We Trust the BBC? [Hardcover]

'Can we trust the BBC? According to .. Aitken, the short answer is no. Aitken's is a sceptical question. The straight-talking, right-thinking Aitken is the man to administer it.'Times Literary Supplement, 16 May 2008--, "Times Literary Supplement "

This book asks a big question: can we trust the BBC? The BBC is the most famous media brand in the world and it is growing bigger and more powerful every year. Its reputation depends on honest and accurate journalism. But this book argues that the Corporation's own pervasive left wing political culture imperils its impartiality. It demonstrates how some groups and viewpoints get favourable treatment while others are left out in the cold. The book examines the concept of 'public sector broadcasting' and asks if that has come to mean simply radio and television free of commercial bias. It argues that there are other 'hidden persuaders' that we the audience should be alert to. Drawing on the author's twenty five years as a BBC reporter and executive, the books blends analysis and sharp polemic to paint a vivid picture of life inside the news machine from a uniquely privileged point of view. It also tells the story of how the BBC responded to a dissident in its own ranks. With the future of the BBC now the subject of a government White Paper, this book will be a timely contribution to the debate about public broadcasting.

Robin Aitken is former executive of the BBC