Closed petition Public inquiry into the bias in the BBC

Petition progress

View all updates for this petition, with the most recent first.

• 15 July 2019

  Parliament debated this petition

  

  • Read the transcript of the debate
  • Read the research used for the debate
• 8 July 2019

  Related activity

  Short survey

  We want to hear about your experiences and views before petitions about the BBC are debated in Parliament on Monday 15 July at 4.30pm.

  We learnt a lot from a recent online discussion about what petitioners think, and we'd now like to ask a few survey questions before the debate. Your responses to this very short survey will also help to inform the debate. Click on this link to complete the survey:

  https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/A3Z54/

  Thank you for taking the time to let us know what you think.

• 24 June 2019

  Related activity

  Online discussion

  The Petitions Committee wants to know what you think about impartiality and the BBC.

  The House of Commons Facebook page is hosting an online discussion, to get people's views on the issue before it's debated in the House of Commons on 15 July.

  The discussion is live now and will run until 12 noon on Thursday 27 June. Join the discussion and tell us about your experiences and views.

  Please comment on the thread here:

  https://www.facebook.com/UKHouseofCommons/photos/a.183499548715839/875769506155503/?type=3&theater

  We won't be able to reply to any direct messages.

  Find out about how to get involved in your UK Parliament: http://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/

• 21 June 2019

  Parliament will debate this petition on 15 July 2019

  You’ll be able to watch online on the UK Parliament YouTube channel.

• 17 June 2019

  Petition closed

• 27 April 2019

  This petition will be considered for debate in Parliament

  This petition got more than 100,000 signatures meaning the Petitions Committee will consider it for debate in Parliament.

• 14 January 2019

  Government responded to this petition

  The BBC has a duty to deliver impartial, accurate news coverage and content under its Charter. Perceived editorial bias at the BBC is a matter for Ofcom as the independent regulator, not government.

  Read the response in full

  Impartiality is a key part of the BBC’s mission set out in the BBC Charter. The BBC’s mission is ‘to act in the public interest, serving all audiences through the provision of impartial, high quality and distinctive output and services which inform, educate and entertain’.One of the BBC’s public purposes is to ensure that news and current affairs content is impartial, provided to the highest editorial standards, and offers a range and depth of analysis and content not available elsewhere.

  It is for the BBC Board, not government, to set editorial standards and ensure the quality and impartiality of all BBC’s content. BBC Editorial Guidelines sets out that impartiality lies at the heart of the BBC’s commitment to audiences. The BBC Director-General is the editor-in-chief with final responsibility for BBC editorial matters of the BBC.

  The BBC is independent of government and regulated by Ofcom. It is for Ofcom to hold the BBC to account on a range of areas, including perceived BBC bias. The BBC must comply with the Ofcom Broadcasting Code which contains rules for broadcasters on due impartiality and due accuracy and undue prominence of views and opinions. Ofcom sets the BBC operating licence which contains conditions it considers necessary for requiring the BBC to meet its mission and public purposes.

  Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

• 31 December 2018

  Government will respond to this petition

  This petition got more than 10,000 signatures meaning that government will respond to it.

• 17 December 2018

  Petition published

  This petition can now be signed.

  If this petition gets 10,000 signatures, government will respond to it.

  If this petition gets 100,000 signatures, it will be considered for debate in Parliament.

  This petition will stay open until 17 June 2019.