Book Review: War Against the BBC by Patrick Barwise and Peter York
The War Against the BBC is a timely and myth-busting book for an age of disinformation and government doublespeak.
Why, I often ask, would anyone want to castrate a globally renowned and respected super-brand that represents British soft power throughout the world, especially in a post-Brexit era when the term ‘Global Britain’ is banded around with such optimistic fervour? Patrick Barwise and Peter York investigate the charges made against the BBC to reveal “how an unprecedented combination of hostile forces is destroying Britain’s greatest cultural institution”.
The ‘war’, as they see it, is essentially two-fold. The first is a political one emanating from media moguls, the right-wing media and quasi-research led think tanks that accuse the corporation of, amongst other things, left-wing bias and wasting licence fee revenue. Indeed, these critics essentially use the same method and tactics that led to Brexit, drip feeding false stories and manipulated data over a matter of decades until falsehoods are believed and a negative narrative established. In fact, as the authors explain, this process started during the last decade of Conservative governments through several attacks and defunding initiatives. All done with the sole purpose of destabilising and undermining public confidence in the BBC. Thankfully, as the authors show through research, this has not yet been successfully sold to the public. However, in this media landscape, the BBC has difficulty defending itself and is forced to cow-tow meekly to a government who dangle the Sword of Damocles 2027 charter renewal over its head.
Barwise is an academic and therefore familiar with the academic peer-review system of publishing research. He found much of the think-tanks’ research methods, review system and publications to be flawed and lacking rigour. To counter these, the authors use meticulously sourced evidence to rebalance the debate, set the record straight and debunk incorrect media stories, which are fastidiously cited in the last third of the book.
There’s a shockingly revealing chapter where Barwise and York deconstruct in detail the misleading figures behind a 2015 Daily Mail article, which asserts that the BBC spent less than half of its cash on programmes. However, the authors’ data sources reveal a vastly different calculation. If the Mail had done its sums correctly and excluded government top-slicing, collection costs and BBC Worldwide commercial activity plus accurately included the resources needed to make and broadcast programmes, then it would have found that the BBC actually spent 93% of its licence fee revenue on UK PSB content, distribution, essential infrastructure and support. This reveals massive discrepancies in the Mail article.
The second argument is commercial that posits that the BBC has become too large and competes unfairly with free market forces by creating popular programmes. There is also competition from disruptive technologies and economically powerful global platforms that threaten to diminish the corporation’s future.
There’s a whole chapter dedicated not only to the services offered by the BBC but also the lesser known benefits to the UK’s creative economy, education, musicians and the excellent value the licence fee provides (43 pence a day, £3.03 per week) for the vast and wide-ranging services it offers. This is incredible value for money compared with its free-market competitors and with no commercial breaks. However, the Catch 22 is that, “the more successfully the BBC competes — by innovating, engaging viewers, listeners and online users and increasing the value for money it gives licence fee payers — the more complaints there are from its competitors about its market impact”. As the authors note, if the BBC’s only role as a PSB is to address (free) market failure then it faces being put into a ludicrous position. Should the BBC be forced to sell a programme or format in which it has nurtured and provided investment to a commercial broadcaster as soon as it becomes successful because it is deemed better served by the free-market? This is clearly a nonsensical and ridiculous and, ironically, will hit licence payers’ value for money, choice and the variety of programming available. It also disincentivises the BBC to innovate
However, don’t be mistaken in to thinking this book is a BBC ‘love-in’, the authors subject the broadcaster to criticism too, especially with regards to poor editorial decisions (particularly the Jimmy Savile scandal), the ill-conceived Lonely Planet acquisition, the failed Digital Media Initiative and problems with pay.
The future of the BBC is now well and truly part of the culture war perpetuated by right-wing think tanks and pressure groups whose obsession with perceptions of BBC’s ‘wokeness’ and converting audiences into ‘woke infected zombies’, whatever that means, is building pace.
This book is essential reading for anyone who uses BBC services (99% at least once every week in UK), who values its programming, services and trust its impartiality and reporting. It is also for anyone who is concerned about a US Fox News style of shock-jock takeover (already on its way if reports of GB News and News UK are anything to go by). The book should also be read carefully by all of its detractors who believe the BBC needs nullifying. Sadly, this may be too much to hope for. However, we need to appreciate the BBC for what it is, a much-valued cultural institution that needs defending against ‘hostile forces’ as sometimes you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.
