The BBC are under serious pressure. Michael Prescott’s leaked memo in the Telegraph has opened up a can of worms eating through Britain’s largest news network. The leaked memo revealed the BBC’s splicing of Trump’s January 6 speech, conveying that his supporters should ‘fight like hell’ when in reality he said those words fifty-five minutes after mentioning storming the Capitol. Prescott’s findings lead him to believe that there’s an institutional bias pumping through the veins of the BBC. 

Prescott’s previous position as the editorial guidelines advisor at the BBC must mean that his statements are reliable, no? Well, it is true that Trump’s speech was edited. But I encourage you to watch the unedited January 6 speech and come to your own conclusion whether he said something essentially different than what the BBC implied. 

Regardless of the intention, the editorial decision lacked judgement. It goes against the BBC’s characteristic impartiality, and it has given Trump and his minions the opportunity to strike.

In this age of digitalised media, where misinformation and ‘fake news’ dominate media discourse, where polarisation and partisanship are at levels unfamiliar to modern Western democracies, the BBC faces a severe challenge. As Trump, with help from his ‘tech-bros’, continues to toy and destabilise mainstream media outlets, the BBC has to structurally and perceptually reform in order to survive these waves of attacks. 

So why the BBC? And what are the consequences this could bring? 

According to Rusbridger in The Prospect, the BBC is the second-most-trusted news network in the United States, after the Weather Channel. This says a lot about the state of American news broadcasting, but it also illustrates the threat that the BBC poses. You see, Trump cannot reshape and reformulate events when there is trust. 

‘Fake news’. Since Trump arrived on the scene, I have heard this word more times than I care to count. Climate change is fake news, Epstein is fake news, the 2020 election, the Jimmy Kimmel show and the BBC. It is all fake news. It is thrown around to delegitimise those who criticise Trump, but its real power lies in disrupting mainstream media and transferring authority to hyper-individualised echo chambers. The BBC is too trustworthy, and his media reign relies on the spreading of disbelief, where journalistic hysteria allows him to pursue his own agendas unharassed.

Additionally, the corporation’s high expectation of impartiality and non-bias reporting makes them intrinsically vulnerable, because impartiality is unattainable. Biases are embedded into us as humans, and in journalism, it must be recognised and worked with, rather than disassociated and repelled. By not acknowledging bias, the BBC can tend to come across as deceitful.

The consequence? I think this is going to inevitably affect the way people interact with the BBC. People from far left and right positions tend to distrust mainstream state media in any case, so for them, this will be used to validate their own positions. For people who have an unopinionated stance on the BBC, the next time they watch Newsnight or Question Time, the sound of ‘institutional bias’ may be ringing in the back of their minds. But I can also see people resenting yet another American attempt to influence British politics, and supporting the BBC could showcase their lack of desire to be pushed around by the orange bully from across the pond. 

After all is said and done, I see the BBC surviving this. I don’t think Trump will actually sue; it is too much hassle and it would most likely reduce his popularity even further in the UK. However, if you are reading this and you are glad that the BBC is facing an existential threat, then I would like to remind you of what Britain without the BBC would be like. Apart from its contributions to music, art, film, sport, journalism, and so on, the collapse of the BBC would create a power vacuum within the world of media.

The diminishing of mainstream, state-owned media would see Britain catapulted towards privatised, cable news. Where media firms, like GB News and The Mirror, are funded to slurp up the leftover audience and assets formerly held by the BBC. Does this ring a bell? Just take a look at the land of the free and think about the wonders it has done for the US. Imagine waking up everyday and having the choice of watching Piers Morgan or Douglas Murray host your breakfast show. This will undoubtedly generate a new wave in mental health crises, and when thinking that there will be no more Strictly Come Dancing, it all becomes rather depressing.

The BBC needs to change, but in the meantime, do not be fooled by your nearest conspiracy-loving relative. Do your own legwork, and make sure to keep a sense of trust.

If you liked this, read more from Redbrick Comment:

Your Party: Will Reform UK Finally Have a Worthy Opponent?

The Removal of Angela Rayner from Office: Deserved, or a Sad Loss for Women in Politics?

Why Greta Thunberg’s Flotilla Mission Mattered