World broadcaster that has lost its global view

If there is one global voice that has a deserved reputation for truth, honesty, fairness, awareness, understanding and balance, it is the BBC and its World Service radio programmes.

For generations and millions of people living behind the Iron Curtain, for Burmese, Chinese and others brave enough to tune in to foreign broadcasts, for Africans repressed by civil war and turmoil, the BBC World Service in English and in local languages has been a voice of accurate news penetrating the gloomy propaganda of communism, dictatorship, repressive or kleptocratic governments.

With the growing global reach of the internet and television channels, the BBC should be on the cusp of a golden age as an international broadcaster and a promoter of debate about vital issues. There is a need for an honest broadcaster that can see over national borders and understand the world.

Instead, the BBC's reputation is at risk from a strange mixture of 'little England' and a tabloid mentality. This is particularly marked in the international television brand known as BBC World News. The World Service radio still tries to preserve traditional values in spite of pressures on it.

BBC World News enthusiastically yells the latest headlines, like a tabloid newspaper with a bold front page but little background or explanation inside. Repetition is the order of the hour and the day. If you watch for two hours, you get about 20 minutes of news repeated twice, 90 seconds of headlines repeated six times, 10 minutes of business duplicated, 10 minutes of sport, ditto, a few minutes of weather, a few adverts and endless, mindless promotions of future programmes.

In the business programmes, the presenters are almost cheerleaders for the market. Asia is badly served, with business coverage run from Singapore.

What was disgracefully surprising was the burst of 'little Britain' during the British general election. For hours at a time, BBC World News forgot the world outside and broadcast only about the misty little Westminster district of Britain.