droodzilla
pfm Member
Do you think that episode of Newsnight, and in particular Jeremy Corbyn as a Voldemort, was an enduring topic of conversation beyond those who watched it that night? Probably not. I mean, f**k my tall hat, it's only taken 6 years to come to light, even here in PFM and on Twitter. Not really burnt into anyone's psyche, that one, not like the 'hat' picture.
It all builds a narrative I'm sure but ISTM that, too much influence is being credited to a (relatively) minor interest TV programme and just adds further support to justify efforts to neuter a national broadcaster.
Given how the BBC works now, I would suggest that reform to the wider privately-owned media, where most of the -ve press was generated is the first task and the BBC would change in line as as a lot of what it does seems to reflect what is going on in that wider press (often not being as critical as it should be). However, that's not as easy to achieve as making a simple decision as 'denationalising'.
Seriously, we need both: radical reform (democratisation and independence from government) of public service broadcasting + better regulation of privately-owned media (Leveson 2 is the obvious starting point).
Democracy is impossible if the public sphere is awash with lies and misinformation.