Big Question - Sep07

Following a spate of recent scandals what can the BBC do to be seen again as an ethical producer?

The BBC has no image problem to fix. It remains the last bastion of cerebral programming in a US-dominated media world permeated by such critical questions of modern civilisation as who is Paris Hilton's latest sex partner.

If ethics were uppermost in the mind of TV programmers they would pull the plug immediately and urge audiences to pick up a book for once. Replacing lived experience with an addictive pre-packaged reality garnered at second hand through sound bite and selective editing is the deeper ethical issue.

To censure the Beeb (slang for BBC) for embarrassing Queen Elizabeth or paying a child trafficker to disclose his trade for the cameras pales in significance compared to the ethical afrontery of Fox Network's cheerleading of a war where millions have died, or the moronic spectacle of game show contestants chowing down on cockroaches, passed off in the guise of ‘light entertainment'.

For all its faults I'd take my dear old BBC over any Italian topless news channel any day. My advice to them?  Apologise for nothing except perhaps that monumental crime to humanity known in the UK as East Enders.

Danny Chaplin

Managing Director

Chaplin Public Relations

No brand or organisation, regardless of size or strength is exempt from the possibility of a crisis. It would, however, take a lot to break an institution as famed and respected as the BBC - traditionally it has always had credibility as one of its biggest assets.

In terms of managing the ‘crisis', the logical road for the BBC to take is to return to its core proposition of enriching people's lives with great programs and services that seek to inform, educate and entertain the public. By using its own medium as the best communication vehicle, the BBC should acknowledge its mistakes and keep the public fully informed of the actions it will take to deal swiftly with its errant producers - no spin, just the hard facts.

Sometimes a crisis is best viewed as an opportunity to remind the public about what the organisation stands for. The BBC's track record, alluding to its high ethical standards, has commanded a great deal of respect and trust in the past - this is the message they need to get out there.

Irene M Gomez

Director

Corporate Media Services