The BBC will destroy itself if it continues on the path of dumbing down

CHRIS Deerin’s apologia pro BBC (“We will all be the losers if those who wish to harm the BBC win”, The Herald, April 3) displays bias. His essay asserts that the BBC is “an internationally recognised symbol of truth-seeking, artistic craft, journalistic courage and global engagement” but he does not back this up with a single piece of evidence, or example. His entire argument is that “the BBC is the greatest broadcaster in the world” because Terry Wogan said so. This is what bias is: you think your point of view is so obviously right that you can’t see the need to argue it.

There’s plenty I admire on the BBC but it’s almost all on the radio – Desert Island Discs on Radio 4 because Kirsty Young is a wonderful interviewer, Michael Barclay (Private Passions, Radio 3 ditto), Paddy O’connell on Broadcasting House (4) because he is unfailingly polite and unlike Andrew Marr doesn’t interrupt all the time, Ken Bruce on Radio 2 because he is a ray of sunshine and respectful of the stuff he plays, which he always identifies. Television is another matter. Hamlet (BBC 2 Saturday) was wonderful, but to see such a production on TV nowadays is a rarity. Battlefield Britain (BBC 4 Monday) was awful and represents all that is wrong with television: a hammy attempt to hold the attention of an audience imagined to have a concentration span of 10 seconds with misplaced techniques of digital cut-and-paste against an unremitting background of musical drivel. The cyber trolls of Twitter and Facebook (Mr Deerin’s toxic sewers) are not the enemy; the enemy is within. The BBC will destroy itself if it continues to dumb down.

But then, I’m an old guy.

Dr Hamish Maclaren,

1 Grays Loan, Thornhill, Stirling.

IN his defence of the perceived bias of the BBC Chris Deerin reveals his own remarkable lack of balanced opinion.

The “toxic sewers of Facebook and Twitter” are apparently only occupied by “Cybernats, Ukippers and Corbynistas”. No mention of the toxic input of British Nationalists and their obnoxious contributions to social media.

To use a phrase like “Alex Salmond’s barmy army” to describe a perfectly legitimate demonstration is surely treading on the territory he claims to despise

The BBC is, as it is named, the British Broadcasting Corporation, and will always be biased in favour of the Unionist Establishment.

Willie Douglas,

252 Nether Auldhouse Road, Glasgow.

I REFER to Michael Settle’s analysis of Michael Gove’s recent green conversion (“Green role has as much to do with personal ambition as conviction”, The Herald, April 3). Does it really take a few minutes of television footage to demonstrate to our Environment Secretary what impact we are having on our planet, specifically in this case, our oceans? Where has he been? What advice have his advisors given prior to the final episode of Blue Planet? I hate to put words into Mr Settle’s mouth, but he implies that Mr Gove may be jumping on an important topical issue and demonstrating the opportunist that he undoubtedly is. I agree with Mr Settle.

But Blue Planet does demonstrate what Chris Deerin argues in his column in the same issue of The Herald. The BBC still provides a valuable public service and if it helps convince our Environment

Secretary that action is required, then well done and congratulations to it.

I’d rather have the BBC than Fox News.

Willie Towers,

Victoria Road, Alford, Aberdeenshire.

MY eye was caught by a bold headline in today’s Herald: “Gove: we’ll stamp out ivory trade” (April 3). While I applaud the thought, based on his previous utterances, I won’t hold my breath.

Steve Barnet,

Broom Park, Gargunnock.