GLOBAL SERVICE, LOCAL UNEASE
The BBC’s international arm, the World Service, reaches more than 318 million weekly listeners and is still viewed as a critical source of reliable information. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has described it as a “light on the hill”.
Many older Britons continue to defend the BBC, though some acknowledge recent missteps. Two senior executives resigned after the Trump speech controversy.
Writer Jennifer Kavanagh told AFP the organisation had always been attacked “from the right and from the left”, adding that public trust has not collapsed despite recent criticism.
But analysts note that younger audiences are increasingly consuming news on social media rather than from traditional broadcasters. Dan Hind, an author on media and democracy, said many are “slipping outside the zone of BBC influence” due to growing distrust and reliance on alternative platforms.
Some viewers have shifted to right-leaning rivals such as GB News, where Reform UK leader Nigel Farage regularly appears. Uxbridge resident Robin Scott said she watches GB News because “they talk about things you never see on the BBC”.
Hind said the BBC struggles to compete in an environment where sensational content is rewarded, noting that it “tries to be sober, balanced and accurate”, while extreme political ideas spread rapidly on less regulated platforms.
As expectations of the broadcaster remain high, controversies over issues such as the Trump edit or coverage of the Gaza war carry “existential” weight for the organisation, said LSE’s Edwards.
