Dr Rowan Williams thinks they’re wrong. Samantha Morton thinks they’re wrong. More than 50 MPs think they are wrong. The thing is – they’re not.
It might be hard to hear but the BBC is right in this issue. They need to maintain journalistic distance. But they’re damned if they do and they damned if they don’t. If they don’t, the current hurricane of abuse comes their way. If they do show the commercial, they will be accused of political bias and further complaints will no doubt flood through their door. Sky News know this as well, which is why they’re not going to broadcast it.
The time has come to stop wasting time by protesting about the BBC and to concentrate on what is actually important. If a fraction of the energy that is being put into attacking the BBC was used to collect money for the DEC, the charities involved would be miles ahead of where they are now. So I ask everyone who is boycotting and balloting and organising on facebook to attack the Beeb to stop, put their hands in their pockets and donate. And then start fundraising yourselves. If you really care so much about this issue, they are a million ways to get off your arse and do something productive. I’m not going to be happy until there’s at least as many fundraising events on facebook as there are members of groups against the BBC.
Update: There’s a cracking article from Emily Bell at the Guardian on this
