A question of trust ...Middle East

Of the hundreds of emails we received that mentioned trust...

10% said they have experienced a loss of trust

2% said they are concerned about declining trust

Having lived overseas for several years, first in Texas, USA, and later in Oman, I have experienced the sort of TV that you receive when the only motive is profit. It was terrible, particularly in terms of news and current affairs coverage. The only quality programmes that we saw in Texas were on the PBS channel and were imported from the BBC. Likewise in Oman, the only news to be trusted came from BBC World.

People in power, including journalists and politicians, should be really careful what they wish for because once the BBC is gone, it won’t ever be replaced and we shall all be worse off. I for one would never forgive a political party that took it down.

The situation that Panorama got itself into [over Donald Trump] and the Gaza: Doctors under Attack documentary was really stupid and there should certainly be better oversight – I think the current structure at the BBC is clearly lacking but we must be careful not to throw the baby out with the bath water.

I don’t agree with woke nonsense about not saying “women” when that is clearly what you mean [in November the BBC upheld 20 impartiality complaints after presenter Martine Croxall altered a script she was reading live on the BBC News channel, which referred to “pregnant people”]. We shouldn’t all have to change our use of the English language to salve the feelings of a few people. A bit of common sense is needed all round.

Overall, though, I do trust the BBC, particularly people like international editor Jeremy Bowen who put their lives on the line to show us what is really happening in the world. I love BBC wildlife – what an excellent service. they provide – and we all love Strictly.

Sarah RobertsAlrewas, Staffordshire

I am 78 years old and grew up with the safe, cosy version of “Auntie”, and for many years trusted the news it disseminated. However, that trust is comprehensively broken. Once the BBC climbed aboard the woke bandwagon it lost all pretensions to impartiality.

The debacle over the doctoring of President Trump’s Capitol speech illustrates this perfectly. The censoring of Martine Croxall for correctly using the term “pregnant women”, a split-second decision, only underlines the hypocrisy. 

Vivien O’CarrollVia email

I’m very fond of the BBC, warts and all, and would be very sad if it were no more. It’s a national institution and offers a range of dramas, documentaries etc. Like school teachers, the BBC leans to the left, but the public are grown-ups and can sort the wheat from the chaff. I trust them far more than the money men and far right. If it ain’t broke, don’t mess with it.

My one complaint is the incomplete, and sometimes totally missing, subtitles. There are millions of hard-of- hearing seniors who rely on them.

And for what it’s worth, I don’t think we should have sold the trains, British Gas and Royal Mail, either.

Marilyn ShortLondon

Where public frustration really hardens regarding the BBC is around trust, and there are some very real reasons for that. The Jimmy Savile case can’t be brushed aside – it was a profound institutional failure. Serious concerns were missed or ignored, and the instinct to protect reputation over accountability did lasting damage. When an organisation asks for universal trust and compulsory funding, people understandably hold onto failures like that.

There’s also a growing sense that editorial authority isn’t as unquestionable as it once was. High-profile legal threats and lawsuits involving major broadcasters, including cases brought or threatened by figures like Donald Trump, feed a wider perception that big media institutions are no longer beyond challenge. Regardless of where people stand politically, that chips away at the idea of automatic credibility.

And then there’s Panorama. It remains an important investigative programme, but accusations that certain episodes have been selectively edited or framed to suit a particular narrative, whether fair or not, have also dented confidence. When people believe a programme is shaping evidence rather than following it wherever it leads, trust erodes quickly, especially for a broadcaster that sets such high standards for others.

All of that helps explain why loss of trust doesn’t come out of nowhere. That doesn’t automatically mean the BBC has no value, but it does mean it can’t rely on legacy or moral authority alone any more.

So for me, it comes back to reform, not abolition. The BBC needs:

Public service broadcasting still matters, for news, regional coverage and areas the market won’t serve well, but people need to feel that the standards demanded of the public are matched internally.

Andrew Percy HaddockVia Facebook

The resignations last year of the director-general, Tim Davie, and CEO of news Deborah Turness were very regrettable. The BBC should have mounted a much stronger response to the recent attacks on it. The BBC is the moral compass of this country and represents the very best of it. It is our greatest educator. May the glorious BBC continue its great work. What it presents and creates is priceless.

Georgina BarberTintwistle, Derbyshire

The two things I am most proud of as a Brit are the NHS and the BBC. Sadly, both have suffered in recent years by underfunding, the risk of commercial interference and a hostile press highlighting their mistakes and ignoring all the amazing things they do.

I’m pleased to see the recent “This is Our BBC” campaign on my TV screen, reminding viewers of what the BBC does and how it only happens because we, the public, fund it. Some people seem happy to pay lots to commercial broadcasters and in return get annoying ads and very little being done for the public good. These channels are also open to political influence from their owners or other commercial interests.

The public needs to be reminded of all the other great things that the BBC does, such as children’s programmes, Bitesize, helplines for parents and those with specific issues, funding orchestras and choirs, roadshows, supporting aspiring new musicians of all genres, working with the Open University, fundraising for charities and so much more. All these things have a positive impact on the people of this country.

I fear for the BBC’s future if changes aren’t made. Ensure everyone knows of all the good things the BBC does for us. Get rid of all political appointees. Remain neutral in order to tell the truth and ignore outsiders who try to influence the content, be they political, commercial or foreign. Stand strong and keep to your Reithian principles. We need the BBC in an ever-changing worldfull of fear and false news.

Veronica LeaderCapel St Mary, Suffolk

No, I don’t trust the BBC. Why not? Because I feel that the BBC has become an organisation that is no longer impartial. The Panorama scandal, the Martine Croxall incident, gender politics in Doctor Who (really?) all point to politicisation within the BBC. This is such a shame because in the 1980s and 90s when Margaret Thatcher accused the BBC of political bias, I would defend the BBC to the hilt, but not today.

Something has changed in the last five years and I don’t know what, but my trust in the BBC has been undermined.

Nigel HartshorneMacclesfield, Cheshire

So, you asked us to tell you plainly: Do you still trust the BBC? No.

Does it have a future? Not in its present form. What do you love about it, what could it do better? Nothing. Stop being so blatantly biased in its reporting.

Are there services you couldn’t live without? All that is required is quality programming and less celebrity-based content.

Which programmes justify the licence fee, and which feel out of step? None.

Most importantly, how should the BBC be paid for in future – through the licence fee? No. General taxation? Definitely not.

Via subscription? No. Or using a new model entirely? Adverts at the end of programmes, never during them.

The BBC is losing revenue and viewers as a result of its own misguided approach to content and funding, and if it does not change the way it operates quickly, it will become irrelevant as a broadcaster, as there are many other services out there offering a far higher-quality experience.

Chris WilsonHastings, East Sussex

I have watched BBC television and listened to its radio programmes daily for more than six decades. I’ve been educated, informed and entertained, and always felt I’d had good value for my licence fee. But the recent controversies have been disillusioning. They undermine the trust that so many had in the institution, both in this country and abroad. If we cannot trustthe BBC, who can we trust?

I fervently hope a new top management team can find a way to restore the BBC’s reputation and return them to their Reithian ethics. We need public service broadcasting. So many broadcasters are solely interested in maximising profits for their shareholders or pushing the political agenda of their owners. A public broadcaster should aim to give us news that has been fact-checked, is as fair and unbiased as possible and gives us a trustworthy picture of what is actually happening in the world.

On the entertainment side, the BBC has always offered a broad range of programmes for all kinds of tastes. Alongside popular shiny-floor shows, it has offered edgier dramas and comedy, fascinating documentaries, and covered music, arts, humanities and science. I don’t think that any of the purely profit-driven stations would offer these. 

Social media seems to be dangerously divisive and full of fake news. It would be disastrous if this were all we are left with should the BBC fall. I am watching developments with trepidation.

Anne FrostSalisbury, Wiltshire

The BBC is absolutely vital for Britain and our democracy. We must stand up against the hate campaigns orchestrated by extremist politicians and fostered by elements of the media. The BBC is also a very important factor in our country’s standing in the world. It is essential to find a way to fund the BBC without it being subject to political pressure.

The BBC’s core aim should be to tell the truth. By and large I think it manages that very well.

David BirdGuildford, Surrey

By attacking the BBC and potentially bringing it down, we run the risk of ending up at the mercy of the largely unregulated AI-driven abyss of misinformation and fakery.

I have always felt protected by the BBC, shielded from the worst malevolent forces. The British people are, at their core, a peaceful and diverse nation. The BBC constantly tries to representthese values. But the BBC is still managed by real people – and people are flawed. Who isn’t?

Yes, mistakes have been made, but who else would do better? If we throw out the BBC, who do we trust to uphold what defines us as a nation?

All organisations are naturally imperfect and those, such as the BBC, can only navigate the unsettled waters of this world as best they can, and be as accountable as is reasonable to be. I believe they still, by and large, understand that their role is to inform and comment with minimal bias.

I still trust in the BBC. Please support our BBC. Please fight for our BBC. Please save our BBC.

Katherine ParrIsle of Wight

Do I trust the BBC? Yes, a resounding yes. Do I want it to disappear or change dramatically? Absolutely not!

Annie MooreCalcot, Berkshire

Some years ago I was introduced to a lady who inquired, in an expensively educated voice, which school I went to. My reply? “I obtained most of my education from the Home Service of the BBC.” It began in the 1930s when my chore was to exchange the wet battery of “the wireless” for a newly charged one.

My confidence in and admiration for BBC correspondents is undiminished; the recent outcries, first over the Gaza film and the editing of the Trump speech,were the usual examples of “any stick to beat the BBC”.   

BBC editors must be forever vigilant without pandering to the forces of bigotry working for its downfall. Stay strong in the knowledge that the people are behind you. You must fight back. Decency and democracy need you.

Elsie MathiesonCastle Cary, Somerset

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