Citizens and the BBC

Author: Gavin Barker 

Citizen Network is built around the core principles of equality, diversity and community. It encourages its members to act like citizens in order to tackle the big challenges we face in a manner that is open, democratic and inclusive. 

But the values of citizenship and democracy are under direct threat. The arrival of Trump at the White House is a boost for populist and authoritarian movements everywhere, with its rejection of democratic norms and its embrace of xenophobic nationalism. Moreover, its disdain for truth and deliberate promotion of disinformation are a deliberate stratagem in its efforts to win power.

It is this last characteristic that poses the greatest threat. Facts and evidence-based journalism are the lifeblood of democracy. Without that, we have no common basis on which to debate the key issues of the day, find compromise and move forward. Instead, we risk being adrift in a world of mounting political chaos with competing sets of ‘alternative facts’, unfounded claims, and scapegoating of others.

It is at this critical juncture that the future of the BBC and its funding viability is under active consideration. For all its flaws, it remains one of the most trusted sources of news with high standards of fact-based journalism and a reach of more than 400 million people globally every week. More importantly, it is one of the few major media outlets capable of acting as a bulwark against the growing tide of disinformation found online and in some of our major press journals. Yet it too is under attack from a mix of populism, polarised politics and moneyed power.

According to analysis by VLV - the Voice of Listener and Viewer - there has been just under a 40% drop in BBC public funding since 2010, engineered in the name of austerity but motivated by the previous government’s hostility to the BBC. The constant unfounded attacks by its media competitors as well as social media influencers, have also undermined public trust.

The BBC is at a turning point. The current charter - the constitutional basis for the BBC - ends on 31st December 2027. Lisa Nandy, the Secretary of State for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, has ruled out funding the BBC from taxes and considers the TV licence fee outdated and regressive. Yet it is far from clear what she proposes in its place. The recent ministerial statement claims that the government:

“will work closely with the BBC…as well as the British public to inform our thinking. This will include the opportunity for stakeholders and audiences across the country to respond to the Charter Review public consultation before the new charter comes into effect in 2028.”

It is vital that any such public consultation should be high profile, balanced and transparent. It must not allow an opportunistic right-wing media to misrepresent, undermine such a consultation with attacks on the BBC while claiming to speak on behalf of its readers. To avoid this very real risk, we believe a properly convened citizens’ assembly composed of a representative sample of the UK population should be convened to promote a balanced, informed public conversation.

Experience shows that this approach works. 

A recent example is the German initiative Forum against Fakes, which combined broad online participation with a diverse citizens' council. A more celebrated example was the 2018 Irish Citizens’ Assembly, which was instrumental in persuading a largely conservative, Catholic country to vote for women's reproductive rights at the referendum. Its deliberations were widely reported and helped inform the broader public of the key issues without spin and disinformation. In the words of one participant, “Misrepresentation was not an option, for proponents or opponents".

Such an approach would send a powerful message to its detractors, showing that the BBC is demonstrably accountable to the wider public. Moreover, the boot would be on the other foot: if the BBC can demonstrate high standards of accountability, why not Sky News? Or the Times and the Daily Mail? Just who are these organisations accountable to? Their wealthy offshore owners or the British public?

The stakes could not be higher - both for the BBC and for our democracy. As Simon Wren-Lewis remarks:

“The fight against right-wing plutocratic populism is not like previous post-war political battles between the right and left, over how society should be organised to best serve its citizens. Instead, it is a battle over whether politics addresses the real-world problems voters face, or whether it is instead preoccupied with a fantasy world. A world where politicians make stuff up all the time, pretend problems are caused by convenient scapegoats to feed off the divisions that cause…. The fight against right-wing plutocratic populism is the battle of this age, and it would be foolish at this stage to bet on which side will win.”

The BBC is now on the frontline of that battle. The Voice of the Listener and Viewer is exploring the possibility of a citizens’ assembly, alongside partner organisations BBC Challenge and the Media Reform Coalition, but as yet nothing definite has emerged. If you value its future, please consider becoming a member of the Voice of the Listener and Viewer.

The publisher is Citizen Network. Citizens and the BBC © Gavin Barker 2025.