The unwarranted budget cuts to BBC Newsnight

[Piethagoram]

Memories of when Newsnight held people to account...

 

[Piethagoram]

 

[Fan of Big Tone]

I used to watch Newsnight regularly when Paxman did it I thought he was brilliant.

[Ohh Tommy Johnson]

The trouble with extremist governments is that they need to control the media to try and normalise the narrative.  Since Brexit we have had an extremist government and as things have started to fall apart the need to control what we hear has become more important... hence GB News and the other right wing news channel that was licensed (Times News maybe?).  The BBC has always tried to be neutral (and I think the fact that both right and left wingers see it as biased suggests that they do OK overall). Therefore, the government have taken control via their network of supporters and donors.  It stinks, the BBC should remain independent.

[Fan of Big Tone]

4 hours ago, Ohh Tommy Johnson said:

hence GB News and the other right wing news channel that was licensed (Times News maybe?).

Does anyone in their right mind watch GB News?  

[liampie]

both are in bed with each other arent they? how do you stay in power when people are freely able to report on the news and ask the questions everyone wants asking, from a company that wants the same people to force millions of people into keeping a tv licence even if they dont watch their channels or shows.

its possible part of the decline in politics.

[Ohh Tommy Johnson]

12 minutes ago, Fan of Big Tone said:

Does anyone in their right mind watch GB News?  

There are a fair few on another Notts forum... some even regard them as 'centrist'!!

[Ohh Tommy Johnson]

12 minutes ago, liampie said:

both are in bed with each other arent they? how do you stay in power when people are freely able to report on the news and ask the questions everyone wants asking, from a company that wants the same people to force millions of people into keeping a tv licence even if they dont watch their channels or shows.

its possible part of the decline in politics.

I think they have done a good job in the past, and in a grown up world, governments should welcome that kind of scrutiny (and I think up until about 7 or 8 years ago they largely did even if they moaned about it).  Unfortunately since the Brexit referendum was announced the grown ups largely left the room and have no sign of returning.   I agree it is part, and a large part, of the decline in politics.  A confident government should have no fear of an organisation such as the BBC holding them to scrutiny, and should welcome it.

Funding is a whole different issue.  How do you fund it without introducing a bias? 

[liampie]

@Ohh Tommy Johnson i just dont think the government should do everything in their power to change the rules to protect the bbc, who bully and harras people who dont have a tv licence. with some people that do still watch tv without a licence, they do go out of their way to scare people into it and the uk government dont do what the majority of people want. it should become subscription based.

the bbc should finally be independent and not reliant on having friends within politics.

[Fan of Big Tone]

I’m happy to pay for a tv licence rather than having to watch the adverts that commercial channels use to fund their programmes.

[Ohh Tommy Johnson]

51 minutes ago, liampie said:

@Ohh Tommy Johnson i just dont think the government should do everything in their power to change the rules to protect the bbc, who bully and harras people who dont have a tv licence. with some people that do still watch tv without a licence, they do go out of their way to scare people into it and the uk government dont do what the majority of people want. it should become subscription based.

the bbc should finally be independent and not reliant on having friends within politics.

Funding is an issue - but independence doesn't just mean financially independent.  It works so well (and has the reputation internationally that it does, and consequently gives us a lot of soft power on the international stage) because it has traditionally shown no fear or favour to any political persuasion and most other funding models will challenge this. 

[Chris]

It shouldn't be called a TV licence to begin with any more, it still makes people believe they have to pay. I know there's people getting fed up with the BBC, but I think most would pay a reasonable fee to still watch their channels and content. However, they use scare tactics and this is extended to them losing the TV licensing money.

Becoming subscription based would mean they would have to please people, a lot more than they do now, and it will force them to be more competent, less biased and more focused on quality.

In addition to paying silly amounts of money to their board, executives, presenters.

They're very much in bed with politics and over the years, the BBC are just becoming lazier and lazier when it comes to their reporting and shows. They have some fantastic content, but it's that which gets cut or cancelled - ahead of what really wastes the TV licence paying people's money. Hence, why there is always outrage over pay increases and who gets paid what.

Personally, I wouldn't mind some ads. It's a common thing these days and it's good money for them. I think the BBC would improve a lot more if they had to work for it, rather than this age old system which is very much outdated.

[Ohh Tommy Johnson]

I think part of the problem is that their charter requires them to make certain types of programme, and this is often now what most people want to watch, but what only a public broadcaster will produce, and some of it is important stuff, if niche.  Going to most other forms of funding would also require them to drop this requirement and then we would lose a lot, That's why it is difficult.  

[eighteensixtytwo]

If the BBC wants the public to keep paying for a TV licence, then there should be a reform. This should give the public more influence on their broadcasting decisions, including what is broadcasted, when, and how their budget is used.