Ollie Ryan Tucker has an interesting Critic piece on an example of the BBC failing to be careful with its due diligence.
The BBC’s Insta-reality
The BBC should be more careful with its due diligence
It is clear by the adoption of celebrities by online scammers that they are trading on the public profile of those figures to dupe viewers into parting with their cash. In these scams, legitimate individuals or institutions appear to lend credence to otherwise pie-in-the-sky schemes, telling viewers that financial liberation is easily at hand. Both Martin Lewis and Chris Packham appear regularly on national television, be it the BBC or ITV. By that virtue, they are given legitimacy and authority. If the BBC trusts them, why shouldn’t I? That was an attitude many of us have always subscribed to, misgivings about certain presenters’ quirks aside.
This left me surprised that the BBC’s recent documentary on online scams and financial catfishing appears to be hosted by a man who himself is tied up in dodgy companies and distortions. He has left a trail of angry customers who feel defrauded in his wake.
The whole piece is well worth reading as yet another bit of evidence that the BBC cannot be relied on to do even basic fact-checking for its own programmes. It's an entertainment outfit, nothing else.
It’s all very well securing additional legislation on online scams in the new Online Safety Bill, and clamping down on social media companies that allow scams to flourish on their sites. As with much of the commentary on dis- or misinformation, however, it is establishment and legacy media that is letting us down whilst simultaneously and self-interestedly warning us about their competitors.
What does it say about the BBC, with its renewed focus on fact-checking with BBC Verify, that even the most basic and rudimentary due diligence is beyond its grasp?
It’s all very well securing additional legislation on online scams in the new Online Safety Bill, and clamping down on social media companies that allow scams to flourish on their sites. As with much of the commentary on dis- or misinformation, however, it is establishment and legacy media that is letting us down whilst simultaneously and self-interestedly warning us about their competitors.
What does it say about the BBC, with its renewed focus on fact-checking with BBC Verify, that even the most basic and rudimentary due diligence is beyond its grasp?
2 comments:
Here's another scam where due diligence should have been exercised. There are various entertainers and presenters who work for the BBC, and probably do a reasonably good job. But they also opine on political issues and capitalise on their fame to influence people. A few months ago, the BBC tried to rein in some football pundit, but appeared to lose. The least they can do is to warn viewers that he is no more qualified to talk shite about policy than any other bloke.
Sam - good point, this is also a due diligence issue and should have been tackled as such.
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