Impartiality in a Time of Division

A BBC Case Study

Abstract

Impartiality has been a core value of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)—widely acknowledged as the world's leading public broadcaster—since its inception. The principle is spelt out in the Royal Charter which sets out the corporation's public purpose, and has been tried and tested through various crises, including the Suez Crisis and the Falklands War. During the twentieth century, when two-party politics was dominant, impartiality was assumed to be achieved by keeping the balance like a “seesaw” to ensure that an argument would not dip too far to one side or the other. In multicultural, multi-polar Britain of today, broadcasters are required to cover diverse opinions in depth, and consequently, impartiality has been redefined as a mixture of such elements as 'accuracy, balance, context, distance, fairness, even-handedness, objectivity.' The BBC took on the double task of exploring and establishing a new practice whilst adapting to the rapidly changing media landscape brought by digital technology. The BBC faced challenges as journalists started using social media for newsgathering and also as an avenue for engagement. Some got facts wrong, and others got embroiled in rows or “Twitter storms.” The EU referendum in 2016 has added enormous pressure on the corporation. The debate over the country's future divided the nation like never before with both sides showing little appetite to compromise. The BBC came under fire from the political right and left, from Leavers and Remainers alike. A research carried out by an external regulator underlined dissatisfaction of the audience on the BBC's impartiality. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the danger of mis/disinformation, and major players in the media industry are stepping up their fight against the spread of harmful content. The BBC renewed its commitment to impartiality to win the audience's trust and issued a new social media guidance to ensure its staff maintain impartiality. It continues its endeavour to find new ways of achieving impartiality in a fractured and increasingly emotional society.