The answer of course depends upon your social and political leanings. This will undoubtedly affect how you view the BBC, its purpose and its content.
A Tool of the State?
Pluralists claim the BBC is the epitome of democracy due to the ‘unique’ way the BBC is funded – the license fee, which is bound up with the BBC’s remit is to cater for all social groups; to inform, educate, entertain etc. Some would suggest it does this quite well; you only have to look at the range of content it provides through its many media delivery systems. It permeates everywhere, supposedly providing the audience (all tastes catered for remember!) with what it wants. It has to. If it fails to do so, it will get a ticking off and face the growing threat of losing its funding.
So, Eastenders…Disneyfication anyone?
What’s more, you could argue that the now deceased British PM Margaret Thatcher fought 3 election campaigns against the BBC and was still facing their bias and subjective bile at the point of her death. Therefore the BBC is not a tool of the state.
However, lets not forget that we are either a/ cynical or b/ sociologically wise and recognise that the BBC is a state institution. In Marxist terminology (Althusser) an ideological state apparatus. The BBC may not officially exist to serve the state / Government, but from a Marxist stance, you could argue it does.
Although tax payers, sorry license payers provide the funding, the Government run and protect the system. Annoy those running the system and you pay the consequence – loss of funding. And of course, that’s exactly what we have been seeing of late. License fee freezing due to an unhappy ‘owner’ with a 20% budget reduction over the next 5 years, resulting in 2000 job losses announced at the time.
The people (British license payers) who pay for the BBC have no rights or control over it. You could suggest the same about private broadcasting, but of course you can cancel your subscription whereas you are forced by law to pay for the TV license.
Marxists would point to the BBC being rarely critical of those that run the state. Why? They own the purse strings of course. There is evidence to suggest the BBC was used by the Labour Gov’t in the 1940s for propaganda purposes.
So, is the Public Service Broadcasting and the BBC really the epitome of democracy?
You decide. Feel free to let me know your views.
Sociology Bri 