{"id":87484,"date":"2025-11-13T07:03:10","date_gmt":"2025-11-13T07:03:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.taxresearch.org.uk\/Blog\/?p=87484"},"modified":"2025-11-13T07:03:10","modified_gmt":"2025-11-13T07:03:10","slug":"is-the-bbc-suffering-a-far-right-attack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.taxresearch.org.uk\/Blog\/2025\/11\/13\/is-the-bbc-suffering-a-far-right-attack\/","title":{"rendered":"Is the BBC suffering a far-right attack?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"p1\">Is there a coup underway at the BBC? When journalists are punished for minor mistakes while truth-tellers are silenced, that\u2019s not accountability \u2014 that\u2019s control. In this video, I explore how the BBC has become the front line in a far-right campaign to destroy truth itself, and why this matters for democracy in Britain and beyond.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/LwZJiMYmF3I?si=y9pjTLAREbt1vN2l\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>This is the audio version:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px); height: 150px;\" title=\"The BBC Coup: Is Truth Under Siege?\" src=\"https:\/\/www.podbean.com\/player-v2\/?i=rmccn-19bef6f-pb&amp;from=pb6admin&amp;share=1&amp;download=1&amp;rtl=0&amp;fonts=Arial&amp;skin=f6f6f6&amp;font-color=auto&amp;logo_link=episode_page&amp;btn-skin=c73a3a\" width=\"100%\" height=\"150\" scrolling=\"no\" data-name=\"pb-iframe-player\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>This is the transcript:<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>Is there a coup going on at the BBC, as many of its staff have suggested this week? My answer is, of course, there is. When journalists are toppled for minor errors, while those responsible for truth are silenced , that's not accountability, that's about seeking control. \u200aAnd this desire for control is not accidental. \u200aIt's part of a wider, far-right project to de-legitimise truth itself.<\/p>\n<p>As historian \u200aTim Snyder said in his book On Tyranny, \u200atruth is always the first casualty of authoritarianism. Fascism doesn't begin with violence; it begins with lies. \u200aAnd to achieve that, first of all, you discredit truth-making institutions: the press, academia, and civil society. And look at the USA; that's exactly what Trump has been doing, and now he's turning on the UK.<\/p>\n<p>The aim is to replace facts with opinion, and then opinion with propaganda. The objective is simple: \u200aif no one ends up believing anything, power can say anything.<\/p>\n<p>As Hannah Arendt, the notable historian and commentator on fascism, put it in 1973, \"The moment we no longer have a free press, anything can happen. A people that no longer can believe anything cannot make up its mind. And with such a people, you can then do what you please.\" And what she was talking about is not a theory. It's the roadmap of every authoritarian regime in history, and that is why the BBC is being targeted.<\/p>\n<p>The BBC, for all its faults, and let's be clear, it's got them, remains one of the most trusted media organisations on earth. Destroying that trust is the ultimate prize of those who want a world without accountability. After all, \u200awhen the BBC fails, who replaces it? Private media oligarchs want to do so. They want to deliver corporate control of what we hear. They want to create partisan echo chambers. And that's the point: they want truth itself to be privatised.<\/p>\n<p>And who gains from this? Let's be clear, this assault on the BBC is all about money and power. When truth is unstable, the rich get richer and democracy withers. The economic and political power structure of the wealthy benefits most from the confusion that this attack on the BBC is trying to create, because \u200awhen the public can't agree on facts, the elite act unseen in the shadows of secrecy, finance, and captured institutions.<\/p>\n<p>And the consequence is obvious: democracy corrodes. If public debate lacks shared facts, it becomes a shouting match. \u200aReasoned argument collapses; spectacle wins. We start to vote for those who sound strong, but not for those who sound right.<\/p>\n<p>Then inequality deepens. The wealthy already own the press; now they want to own the platforms, the data, and the message itself. When truth collapses, their advantage multiplies. Ordinary citizens are just then left with noise and not with knowledge.<\/p>\n<p>The consequence is, of course, state capture. The state itself becomes hollowed out. If you can't trust data or the media, you're told you can't trust the government either. And that is, in fact, the fundamental point of the process, which is represented by the attack on the BBC. \u200aWhen the oligarchs step in, supposedly to run things efficiently and for profit, what they actually want to do is replace public service in pursuit of the truth with private control in pursuit of their power.<\/p>\n<p>The consequence is that extremism thrives. They are, of course, trying to fill a vacuum of their own creation, and the result will be that a disoriented public will turn to easy answers, to scapegoats, to nostalgia, and to strong men, and that's where fascism grows, not from strength, but from despair.<\/p>\n<p>So what must be done about this?<\/p>\n<p>We need \u200ato defend the frontline of freedom, and that is the truth. But at this moment, it is represented by the BBC. We need to defend the BBC because it represents the principle of public truth. It is a public broadcaster accountable to the people ultimately, and that is essential to democracy. \u200aWithout it, we drift into the fog of lies.<\/p>\n<p>Second, we need to reform the media economy. Truth cannot survive in markets that reward outrage. \u200aWe need regulation, public funding, and new nonprofit journalism models to ensure accuracy and accountability are not priced out of existence, which is the threat that is being created now.<\/p>\n<p>Thirdly, we need to democratise truth-making. \u200aMedia literacy should be a civic right and not a niche study. We, as citizens, must learn how to question, verify, and understand information. A democracy ignorant of how truth is made will not stay a democracy, and that requires that all of us ask particularly pertinent questions as to what it is that we choose to understand.<\/p>\n<p>Fourthly, we need to link that truth to justice. \u200aFacts are the foundation of fair taxation, fair markets, and fair democracy as well, of course, of fair government. When truth fails, economic justice falls too; that's why media reform is part of the politics of care and not an afterthought.<\/p>\n<p>And finally, we need to reclaim political agency. This is, after all, a political act that is going on. The attack on the BBC is coming from a politician from outside the UK who is quite deliberately sending out the message that he wishes to destroy it. We must act as citizens, as journalists, and politicians alike, to defend the truth as part of the fight for democracy against someone who has clearly set out to destroy democracy, not only in their own country, but around the world. And \u200aif our politicians won't defend this, then we must; we have a right to know, and that right must be reclaimed.<\/p>\n<p>The assault on the truth is the modern face of fascism. That face wears suits and not uniforms, it manipulates algorithms and not armies, but its aim is the same, and that is to rule by deceit. We can resist by rebuilding trust, defending truth, and demanding accountability. And remember, truth is not a luxury; it is the foundation of democracy itself, and that is what is in doubt with the future of the BBC being open to question.<\/p>\n<p>So what do you think? You've heard my opinion, now I'd like to hear what you think. Do you think the BBC's existence is fundamental to the future of democracy in the UK? Do you think that we must defend it? Do you think we should promote the idea of alternative forms of media in the UK to challenge the power of the media corporations controlled by a few that are dominating the messages that we get? Do you think that we face a threat from fascism if we don't do so?<\/p>\n<p>Let us know. There's a poll below.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Poll<\/strong><\/p>\n<div id=\"polls-253\" class=\"wp-polls\">\n\t<form id=\"polls_form_253\" class=\"wp-polls-form\" action=\"\/Blog\/index.php\" method=\"post\">\n\t\t<p style=\"display: none;\"><input type=\"hidden\" id=\"poll_253_nonce\" name=\"wp-polls-nonce\" value=\"be8cebff51\" \/><\/p>\n\t\t<p style=\"display: none;\"><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"poll_id\" value=\"253\" \/><\/p>\n\t\t<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>What\u2019s really happening to the BBC?<\/strong><\/p><div id=\"polls-253-ans\" class=\"wp-polls-ans\"><ul class=\"wp-polls-ul\">\n\t\t<li><input type=\"radio\" id=\"poll-answer-1147\" name=\"poll_253\" value=\"1147\" \/> <label for=\"poll-answer-1147\">It\u2019s under political attack to control truth<\/label><\/li>\n\t\t<li><input type=\"radio\" id=\"poll-answer-1148\" name=\"poll_253\" value=\"1148\" \/> <label for=\"poll-answer-1148\">It\u2019s suffering from internal mismanagement<\/label><\/li>\n\t\t<li><input type=\"radio\" id=\"poll-answer-1149\" name=\"poll_253\" value=\"1149\" \/> <label for=\"poll-answer-1149\">It\u2019s being replaced by corporate media power<\/label><\/li>\n\t\t<li><input type=\"radio\" id=\"poll-answer-1150\" name=\"poll_253\" value=\"1150\" \/> <label for=\"poll-answer-1150\">It\u2019s still mostly independent and trustworhy<\/label><\/li>\n\t\t<\/ul><p style=\"text-align: center;\"><input type=\"button\" name=\"vote\" value=\"   Vote   \" class=\"Buttons\" onclick=\"poll_vote(253);\" \/><\/p><p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"#ViewPollResults\" onclick=\"poll_result(253); return false;\" title=\"View Results Of This Poll\">View Results<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\t<\/form>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"polls-253-loading\" class=\"wp-polls-loading\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.taxresearch.org.uk\/Blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-polls\/images\/loading.gif\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"Loading ...\" title=\"Loading ...\" class=\"wp-polls-image\" \/>&nbsp;Loading ...<\/div>\n\n<hr \/>\n<p><b>Taking further action<\/b><\/p>\n<p>If you want to write a letter to your MP on the issues raised in this blog post, there is a ChatGPT prompt to assist you in doing so, with full instructions,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.taxresearch.org.uk\/Blog\/2025\/06\/20\/chatgpt-prompt-for-a-letter-to-your-mp\/\">here.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>One word of warning, though: please ensure you have the correct MP. ChatGPT can get it wrong.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><b>Comments\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p>When commenting, please take note of this blog\u2019s comment policy,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.taxresearch.org.uk\/Blog\/about\/comments\/\">which is available here<\/a>. Contravening this policy will result in comments being deleted before or after initial publication at the editor\u2019s sole discretion and without explanation being required or offered.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Is there a coup underway at the BBC? When journalists are punished for minor mistakes while truth-tellers are silenced, that\u2019s not accountability \u2014 that\u2019s control.<br \/><a class=\"moretag\" href=\"https:\/\/www.taxresearch.org.uk\/Blog\/2025\/11\/13\/is-the-bbc-suffering-a-far-right-attack\/\"><em> Read the full article&#8230;<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[215,14,204,35,16,203,106,75],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-87484","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-age-of-aggression","category-corruption","category-economic-justice","category-economics","category-ethics","category-fascism","category-politics","category-usa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.taxresearch.org.uk\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87484","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.taxresearch.org.uk\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.taxresearch.org.uk\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.taxresearch.org.uk\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.taxresearch.org.uk\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=87484"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.taxresearch.org.uk\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87484\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":87501,"href":"https:\/\/www.taxresearch.org.uk\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87484\/revisions\/87501"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.taxresearch.org.uk\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=87484"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.taxresearch.org.uk\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=87484"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.taxresearch.org.uk\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=87484"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}