Beware the Beeb’s soft power

If ever one wanted to see the power of the media in the UK over the political realm, one need look no further than the events of the past two weeks.

The government’s attempts to segregate journalists last week into those invited to certain meetings and those very deliberately ostracised created unnecessary drama in the build-up to yesterday’s cabinet reshuffle. It’s curious for an administration that finds itself with such a large majority to have also found itself making mistakes so early in its honeymoon period, but then, this is an administration with an axe to grind — and when that happens, sparks fly.

Number Ten feels that great swathes of the media oppose it, and have used their platforms to push information that goes beyond simple conveyance of fact into transmission of propaganda. The media would argue, rightly, that they have a duty to scrutinise those in power. They would also make the point, again not without merit, that without a competent, functioning political opposition, it falls to the press to ask the questions politicians fail to. But that will receive short shrift from Downing Street.

Whichever side emerged victorious was, sadly, going to try to punish those it identified as its enemies in the Brexit campaign. And why not? Both Labour and the Tories reasoned they could get away with it, because public opinion would be with them in the event that they won. We are about to find out if this really is the case.

The Tory war on the media is not sector-wide; only a few outlets will suffer their wrath should they continue unchallenged. But certain sections will remain immune. In the build-up to his resignation as chancellor yesterday, several newspapers and journalists had spent plenty of time briefing that Sajid Javid was standing up to the prime minister’s chief adviser, Dominic Cummings; stories abounded that the green-lighting of projects such as HS2 proved Cummings had lost his sway.

By way of riposte, yet more stories began to appear in the press over the chancellor’s proposed tax increases and budget tinkering — policies that were sure to irk core Tory voters. One can probably guess at who was briefing the press in this cold war.

This regurgitating of information leaked by unnamed sources is what the journalist Peter Oborne now calls “client journalism”. It demonstrates how powerful a weapon the press can be in the hands (almost) of politicians. Sadly, this trend doesn’t appear to be abating — and besides, those in the government’s crosshairs lie elsewhere.

That list includes the BBC. Quite how popular this move will be with the electorate remains to be seen. Though some people may complain about the license fee, and grumble about the programming, do they really want to see the whole thing, dysfunctional as it is, carved up?

The BBC is a soft power virtuoso. It broadcasts in everything from Swahili to Spanish and all other languages in between, providing vastly more accurate, impartial news than most state-providers, and often commercial outlets.

But here in Britain, ministers and backbenchers question the value of the license fee, and whether or not the whole thing needs to be replaced. Those voices have grown louder in the past fortnight, but the response has already begun.

This week the corporation announced that any major cuts in funding would mean programming being taken off air. First to go would be the children’s channel CBBC, and that makes for an interesting threat. Though many adults may have only passing loyalty to modern BBC shows, almost everybody in the UK grew up watching children’s shows like Blue Peter. It would be a universally unpopular move, but not just for sentimental reasons.

Practically, too, CBBC is a vital service for those with children. Children’s TV has become instant childcare for those who can’t afford it. It may not seem so important from the outside looking in, and there are alternatives. But to those with small children, the idea of CBBC being cut at the behest of government will cause white-hot rage.

Is that a demographic the Tories can really afford to annoy to such an extent? It probably won’t sway an election, but it may help harden resolve. That is the sort of influence the BBC has — many may grumble at the overall cost, but when people’s favourite or essential resources are threatened, there’s real anger. The BBC can stoke that merely by threatening to do so. And, if the government insists on pushing ahead with their assault on the media, expect things to get even uglier.