Threat to British public service broadcasting. Barely confirmed in his office as prime minister, Boris Johnson attacks the iconic BBC group, which he accuses of having taken a stand against the Tories in the legislative elections, threatening to cut its subsidies.
The conservative leader asked the chief secretary of the Treasury, Rishi Sunak, to review the financing of the public group, confirmed this last Sunday. In the firing line: the television license fee, the main source of income for the institution, which has more than 2,000 journalists worldwide.
Johnson, who now has a large majority in parliament, could lower the amount – currently £ 154.50 a year, or 178 euros – when the next renegotiation of the agreement with the BBC, scheduled for 2022.
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A "revenge" against the BBC?
In the meantime, the Prime Minister also hoped that non-payment of this fee, hitherto considered a crime punishable by a fine of 1,000 pounds, or 1,183 euros, will be reclassified as an offense, resulting in less fines. high.
With 6% of British households illegal, this would constitute a shortfall of 200 million pounds (237 million euros), estimates the daily The Guardian. But it would lighten the work of the clogged courts, some 130,000 people having been prosecuted in 2018 for this count.
Very upset, the Prime Minister notably criticizes the British institution for its treatment of the legislative campaign, believing that it lacked objectivity and showed clear editorial preferences, by some "Exaggerated covers" on events unfavorable to the Tories.
But according to media expert Ivor Gaber of the University of Sussex, this charge against the BBC is actually a " revenge ", especially for "The ad hominem attack" launched by their star political journalist Andrew Neil against the Prime Minister, who shirked an interview with this formidable interviewer, unlike other party leaders.
Since Thatcher, the Conservatives have regularly attacked the BBC
Since then, Boris Johnson has, according to media reports, prohibited his ministers from attending the program "Today", the flagship morning show of BBC Radio 4. Often affectionately known as "Auntie" ("Tata") by the British, the BBC is a veritable institution in the country, which has earned it frequent attacks.
"Since Mme Thatcher, conservative governments have regularly tried to cut funding ", confirmed Jean Seaton, professor of media history at the University of Westminster, "But what is dangerous at the moment is that Labor is also attacking the BBC", she adds, which she considers unusual.
Labor MP Andy McDonald, for example, did not hesitate to accuse the BBC of having "Deliberately" " play a role " in the heavy defeat of his party. "If the BBC thinks it behaved impartially, I really think it has to look in the mirror", he said on Monday in one of his radio stations.
“War of disinformation”
These charges are refuted by a presenter, Huw Edwards, who warned against these "Vitriolic attacks", whose "Real purpose (would be) to undermine trust " towards the audiovisual group.
While 20% of Britons believe BBC journalists are not telling the truth, according to a Yougov study published on Monday, the attitude of the Prime Minister is "Dangerous", according to Mme Seaton.
"We are irrefutably in the middle of a war of disinformation, so why attack one of the instruments which makes it possible to fight against it? ", questions the researcher, fearing that this would serve the particular interests of lobbies or competitors. The BBC's 3.7 billion pounds collected last year is enviable income.
"The BBC cannot justify the compulsory payment of this fee to those who rarely use their services", attacked the conservative daily Tuesday The Times, who believes that the institution, which is struggling to attract a younger audience, should move towards a subscription system after 2027.
Stressing that the funding model of the institution "Is not perfect", Mme Seaton cautions against such an idea, stating that its promoters, "Considering all the money at stake, have less at heart the growth of the BBC than its decrease".
