Roger Bolton's Beeb Watch

The controversial Asserson Report sparked headlines in The Daily Telegraph and The Daily Mail for its critique of the BBC's Middle East coverage at the height of the Israel-Hamas war. The report has drawn both praise and sharp criticism. We’re joined by the report's author, British-Israeli lawyer Trevor Asserson, to discuss its origins, funding, methodology and its interpretation of impartiality.  “I think the faults that we've demonstrated are probably found throughout the BBC’s coverage of other news stories as well. It's very unlikely that they're being impartial elsewhere, but I can tell you that they're not impartial in their coverage of this story.” To support our journalism and receive a weekly blog sign up now for £1.99 per month: www.patreon.com/BeebWatch/membership Or if you'd rather make a one-off payment (which doesn’t entitle you to the blog) please use our crowdfunding page:https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/roger-boltons-beeb-watch-podcast @BeebRogerInstagram: rogerboltonsbeebwatchLinkedIn: Roger Bolton's Beeb Watchemail: roger@rogerboltonsbeebwatch.comwww.goodeggproductions.uk

Journalist and broadcaster David Aaronovitch worked for the BBC in a senior capacity before becoming a columnist for The Times and the presenter of numerous radio programs, including Radio 4’s The Briefing Room. He now publishes longer articles on Substack under Notes from the Underground and contributes to Tortoise Media. In this episode, we discuss the fallout from the Jewish Chronicle scandal, where fabricated articles led David and other prominent writers to resign. We also explore accusations of BBC bias in its coverage of the Israel-Gaza war, and the broader challenges facing journalism today. “If you want to look at lack of balance in the world, look at what's reported and what isn't reported, and how what's not reported is effectively given a kind of second or third class status. I regard this as a big journalistic problem.” To support our journalism and receive a weekly blog sign up now for £1.99 per month: www.patreon.com/BeebWatch/membership Or if you'd rather make a one-off payment (which doesn’t entitle you to the blog) please use our crowdfunding page:https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/roger-boltons-beeb-watch-podcast @BeebRogerInstagram: rogerboltonsbeebwatchLinkedIn: Roger Bolton's Beeb Watchemail: roger@rogerboltonsbeebwatch.comwww.goodeggproductions.uk

Richard Ayre spent thirty-five years at the BBC, serving as the former controller of editorial policy, deputy chief executive of BBC News, and a BBC Trustee. Richard is also a former member of the OFCOM Content Board and is currently the chair of the UK's independent press regulator, Impress.We discuss BBC Director-General Tim Davie and BBC Chair Dr. Samir Shah’s appearance before the House of Lords Communications and Digital Select Committee, where they were scrutinised for their handling of the Huw Edwards scandal and local news. Their views on BBC funding and governance were also revealed.“I think paying him the additional annual increment was indefensible—completely indefensible—and there was no legal risk at all.” To support our journalism and receive a weekly blog sign up now for £1.99 per month: www.patreon.com/BeebWatch/membership Or if you'd rather make a one-off payment (which doesn’t entitle you to the blog) please use our crowdfunding page:https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/roger-boltons-beeb-watch-podcast @BeebRogerInstagram: rogerboltonsbeebwatchLinkedIn: Roger Bolton's Beeb Watch email: roger@rogerboltonsbeebwatch.com www.goodeggproductions.uk

Sir Trevor Phillips presents Sky TV’s Sunday Morning programme and is a columnist for The Times newspaper. He was previously a reporter on the Thames TV This Week, head of current affairs for London Weekend Television, Chair of the London Assembly, Chair of the Commission for Racial Equality, and Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, as well as having run several businesses. In the first episode of our seventh series we discuss why Trevor never became a BBC staffer, what the events over the summer revealed about the culture of the BBC, the BBC's approach to ethnic minorities, multiculturalism, his career, his friendship with the Chair of the BBC, Samir Shah, and the importance of public service media and local coverage."We're talking on the day that the Grenfell Inquiry Report is going to be published. There is no way in a million years that Grenfell, 30 years ago, would not have been a story before the fire, because, certainly, the programme that I presented, the ITV London programme, would have been all over it, year after year." To support our journalism and receive a weekly blog sign up now for £1.99 per month: www.patreon.com/BeebWatch/membership Or if you'd rather make a one-off payment (which doesn’t entitle you to the blog) please use our crowdfunding page:https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/roger-boltons-beeb-watch-podcast @BeebRogerInstagram: rogerboltonsbeebwatchLinkedIn: Roger Bolton's Beeb Watch email: roger@rogerboltonsbeebwatch.com www.goodeggproductions.uk

Sir Peter Bazalgette was until recently part of the previous Government’s committee to review how the BBC was funded. In his distinguished career he has been responsible for shows such as Big Brother, Changing Rooms and Ready Steady Cook, he’s also a former chair of Arts Council England and in September 2023 he stepped down as chair of ITV. He is now co-chair of the Creative Council. On this week’s programme we discussed the Media Act (was anything left out), BBC funding and the future of public service broadcasters.I see Freely, which has recently been launched as an online way of getting all the public service broadcasting in a streaming service, I see that is just the beginning. I think there needs to be further mergers. And it'll be interesting to see what happens to Channel Five. Now that it looks like the owners Paramount are selling out, because I don't think it's going to be a priority for the new American owners. And it may well change hands in the next six to nine months. To support our journalism and receive a weekly blog sign up now for £1.99 per month: www.patreon.com/BeebWatch/membership Or if you'd rather make a one-off payment (which doesn’t entitle you to the blog) please use our crowdfunding page:https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/roger-boltons-beeb-watch-podcast @BeebRogerInstagram: rogerboltonsbeebwatchLinkedIn: Roger Bolton's Beeb Watch email: roger@rogerboltonsbeebwatch.com  

Academics from Loughborough University’s Centre for Research in Communication and Culture have conducted news audits for every General Election since 1992, and their audit for this election is out now. We talked to one of its authors, Professor Dominic Wring, about whether the public was well served by the media, whether legacy media still has a role when against social digital media, populism, media bias, media scholarship and devolution."When we talk about people getting news from social media, when they're talking about that, often those are things that are recycled from legacy sources."To support our journalism and receive a weekly blog sign up now for £1.99 per month: www.patreon.com/BeebWatch/membership Or if you'd rather make a one-off payment (which doesn’t entitle you to the blog) please use our crowdfunding page: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/roger-boltons-beeb-watch-podcast @BeebRogerInstagram: rogerboltonsbeebwatchLinkedIn: Roger Bolton's Beeb Watch email: roger@rogerboltonsbeebwatch.com

Dame Elan Closs Stephens was the acting chair of the BBC after the resignation of Richard Sharp in June last year until her retirement in March. She was a member of the BBC’s governing body since 2010, first serving as Member for Wales on the BBC Trust, until its dissolution in 2017, and then as the Welsh member of the BBC Board.On this week's episode we discussed what Dame Elan would like from a new Culture Secretary, her tenure as chair, impartiality, budget cuts and the decision making process, BBC future funding and regulation, Ofcom, BBC election coverage and appointment of BBC chairs.“I would like to go for some sort of cross party commission, I think it would give the chair more freedom to embrace, to be seen to be embracing different sides.”To support our journalism and receive a weekly blog sign up now for £1.99 per month: www.patreon.com/BeebWatch/membership Or if you'd rather make a one-off payment (which doesn’t entitle you to the blog) please use our crowdfunding page: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/roger-boltons-beeb-watch-podcast @BeebRogerInstagram: rogerboltonsbeebwatchLinkedIn: Roger Bolton's Beeb Watchemail: roger@rogerboltonsbeebwatch.com 

Olivia O’Leary has been a television and radio broadcaster on both the BBC, ITV and RTÉ – the Irish public service broadcaster in her native Ireland. In 1985, Olivia became the first female presenter on BBC’s Newsnight. She later returned to Ireland, presenting once again ‘Today Tonight’ – RTÉ’s flagship current affairs programme. She has also presented BBC Radio 4’s ‘Between Ourselves’ and delivered a regular column on RTÉ Radio 1’s drive time.This week, we get an Irish perspective on the UK election, discuss the complex relationships between Ireland and the UK, and examine how RTÉ, the Irish public service broadcaster, is faring after a series of scandals and the challenges they are facing with funding. Also, as a former presenter, Olivia shares her views on the changes to Newsnight and the future of journalism.“The government has refused to make a decision on the future funding of public service media, and particularly RTÉ. They've kept putting it off, putting it off, putting it off. Our old licence fee system, because of the scandals last year, is now under enormous pressure. One fifth of people never paid it anyway. And even a bigger percentage don't pay it now.”To support our journalism and receive a weekly blog sign up now for £1.99 per month: www.patreon.com/BeebWatch/membership Or if you'd rather make a one-off payment (which doesn’t entitle you to the blog) please use our crowdfunding page: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/roger-boltons-beeb-watch-podcast @BeebRogerInstagram: rogerboltonsbeebwatchLinkedIn: Roger Bolton's Beeb Watchemail: roger@rogerboltonsbeebwatch.com