Ian Small dismisses claims of increasing public disquiet over alleged bias at the BBC

Earlier this year, the Edelman Trust Barometer, which measures trust across institutions, job sectors and geographical areas, found that more than 50 per cent of us worry about fake news. Where the amount of social media content grows exponentially, where views are becoming more polarised and voices more strident in an effort to be heard above the “din”, it is not easy for the BBC to stand apart and remain immune. Indeed, as a broadcaster, we are often the subject of much of the discourse, with questions regularly asked of our impartiality and independence.

Three weeks ago, alerted to BBC content being posted online without authorisation, action was taken to address what was seen as a copyright infringement by a number of websites. That prompted a flurry of correspondence, commentary and criticism. The BBC reacted, determining, rightly, that the proper course of action would be to review its practices in respect of “political” content being posted online by third parties and to withdraw its complaints about such postings. Some saw this as an opportune moment to rekindle their arguments about the BBC’S “institutional bias”, to give voice once again to their perceptions of a pro-unionist, pro-establishment, anti-independence stance which they believe the BBC not only embodies but promotes.

And the arguments, for and against, raged not only on social media but in the columns and letters pages of parts of the press. Lesley Riddoch, in her Perspective article (Monday, 13 August), drew attention to what was characterised as a compendium of concerns laid at the door of the BBC, illustrating what she described as increasing public disquiet over its alleged pro-labour/anti-nationalist bias, its anti-labour/jeremy Corbyn bias, its proconservative bias, the desertion of “liberals and lefties” from the Today programme audience, a similar desertion by them – and by supporters of Scottish independence – from the Question Time audience…

If Riddoch is to be believed, I’m surprised anyone is now watching or listening to BBC programmes! But then again, if we are so busy manipulating our news content in favour of one cause or another, maybe we just haven’t noticed that there’s no one out there consuming it…

The truth of the matter is that audiences do still consume BBC programmes and content. In Scotland. And in great numbers. And they’re not doing that because they don’t trust what they are seeing or hearing. Quite the contrary.

Recent reports from Ipsos Mori and the Oxford University Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism on digital news both saw BBC ranked top for impartial news and as the most trusted news source when compared with other broadcasters, print outlets and social media platforms. Last month, Ofcom’s Media Nations: Scotland report revealed that four in five regular viewers in Scotland rated BBC One’s wide range of quality news highly (78 per cent), above the UK average and above the ratings recorded by audiences in England and Wales. And the early evening edition of Reporting Scotland remains the most watched television news programme in Scotland.

So let us allow the evidence, gathered by external, reputable media analysts to provide proper balance in the arguments around the BBC.