The Guardian’s media editor, Jim Waterson, takes stock of a bruising general
election campaign for the
BBC and subsequent threats to the licence fee from the prime minister. Plus: the BBC’s editorial director, Kamal Ahmed, denies the broadcaster is worried that senior ministers appear to be boycotting flagship shows. Also today: Gabrielle Jackson on endometriosis and the need for modern medicine to catch up with the reality of chronic pain in women
It’s becoming increasingly familiar to hear presenters on flagship BBC programmes introduce items with a proviso: “no government minister was available to comment”. This is one of the more obvious results of a skirmish between the broadcaster and the government following an election that has left the future of the BBC’s funding model under threat.
The Guardian’s media editor, Jim Waterson, joins Anushka Asthana to reassess some of the BBC’s high-profile missteps during the election and the corporation’s future. Plus: the BBC’s editorial director, Kamal Ahmed, rejects arguments that the corporation acted against its own guidelines on impartiality during the election period and looks at how the BBC is facing up to new challenges of social media and digital disruptors.