The BBC Must Be Mutualised to End Its ‘Pro-Establishment Bias’ Warns Report

The BBC must be “mutualised” in order to end its “pro-establishment bias” a new report has found.

The Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy is currently exploring “mutualising” the BBC in order to make it democratically accountable to the public.

Under the plan the corporation would become effectively owned and held accountable by its license fee payers.

A new report, which is published by the thinktank Common Wealth and the Media Reform Coalition, calls for the BBC to be mutualised from 2027 when the government is required to renew the corporation’s Royal Charter, in order to end what it describes as its “pro-establishment bias” arguing that “BBC news reporting is driven by the statements and actions of leading politicians, state officials, and sources from business and finance.

As a result, the BBC presents a narrow range of, and exhibits a lack of balance, on important political issues” the report states.

The report states that the BBC’s reporting “has reflected the interests of the UK state, rather than assuming an impartial position” on issues like Israel’s genocide in Gaza, as well as a general orientation of political coverage towards Westminster rather than the effects of decisions on the country as a whole.

The report suggests that this bias stems partly from the BBC’s funding model leaving it unwilling to challenge the Government, on which it ultimately relies for financial security.

They argue “In its current form the BBC has been unable or unwilling to address the often-contradictory claims of its critics and to assess their relative merits. The organisation that emerges under the new Charter must be able to do so, and in a manner that secures the respect of those who fund it”.

The authors of the report argue that mutualisation is the necessary remedy for a BBC struggling with accusations of bias, declining public trust, and competition in an international market of streaming services.

The report proposes that citizens become “members” of a mutually owned BBC with democratic input into how the BBC operates.

This, the authors argue, would operate through “members panels”, which would be advisory bodies made up of members of the public who would counsel parts of the BBC on what the public wants from their broadcaster.

Under Common Wealth’s proposals, every BBC member would have the right to allocate a share of the BBC’s budget to support independent public interest content.

While the report does not endorse any particular funding model for the BBC, the authors argue that a mutual BBC must adhere to its founding principles of universality, so that it responds to the concerns of all those who fund it, including by taking into account individual’s ability to pay, as well as independence so that the BBC is not responsive to political interference and is instead accountable to the public.

Thomas Chivers, one of the authors of the report told Byline Times “With far-right politicians and Big Tech billionaires threatening to tear up our national institutions, we need genuinely democratic media that’s owned, controlled by and accountable to the public.

“Mutualising the BBC will restore the BBC’s place as a vital public service, secure its independence from government interference, and make all of us active and direct participants in a shared conversation about what kind of society we want to live in.”

Lisa Nandy the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport is reportedly considering mutualisation of the BBC as an option in the upcoming renewal of the broadcaster’s Royal Charter.

While running for Labour leader in 2020 Nandy wrote “Instead of tokenistic consultation with the people who pay for it, and backroom negotiations with the government, the BBC should move to a model of being owned and directed by licence fee holders – who can help decide the trade-offs that the BBC must make to secure its future. This will mean a new structure for the BBC board that focuses on genuine public representation and participation – and greater commitments to transparency.”

Nandy reiterated her proposal in 2024 telling the Financial Times that “Mutualisation is something that various Conservative and Labour politicians have proposed over the years, and I think it’s worth exploring”.

The Department of Culture Media and Sport told Byline Times,  “The Culture Secretary has been clear that the upcoming Charter Review will consider a wide range of issues, ensuring the BBC continues to thrive and operate sustainably.”

They added “we will provide more details about Charter Review plans in due course.”

Nandy may not get the chance to have her say in the charter renewal process, however. The Sunday Times reports that Starmer is considering abolishing the DCMS, and Nandy’s role along with it, as part of the Government’s reaction to heavy losses in the May local elections.

Chivers added, “The BBC faces existential threats and is failing in many of its duties as an impartial, independent broadcaster that serves all UK audiences equally.

The forthcoming Charter review may be the last chance we have to radically transform the BBC into a new kind of democratic institution.

“Even if the current Government is friendlier towards the BBC than the last government was, the BBC will not survive if Labour chooses to merely tinker at the edges during the upcoming Charter review.

“Unless the BBC is radically reformed, and the public are given real democratic powers to shape it, then our national public broadcaster faces a bleak future of dwindling audiences, collapsing funding and eventual irrelevance.

“This would deprive British audiences of one of the few national institutions with a duty to serve their needs and interests, and leave us with a media landscape dominated entirely by Murdochs, Musks and Rothermeres.”