a place ill at ease with itself

The BBC has, for the last few days, been a strange place to be around. Some feel that the public self-criticism and promise of penitence are an over-reaction, tarring everyone with the same brush, others that creativity will be hampered as everyone looks over their shoulder fearing to make mistakes in this new puritan environment. People have asked whether the soul searching has reached the upper orders. God forbid, senior figures will have to listen the output that they are responsible for?

If this is a healthy new found interest in programmes then this would be a good thing, however, it is more likely to be an exercise in making sure that transgressions are punished.

As is the norm with the BBC, feelings are heightened and there is a tendency to re-invent the familiar wheel. It strikes me as odd that, with threats to make senior editorial staff redundant, the response to criticism is to set up more senior editorial boards and employ more ex-BBC staff to conduct enquiries.

Similarly odd perhaps that the people speaking most loudly about the detrimental impact of casualisation within the industry have been those who were primarily responsible for its expansion.

Loyalty is a term that used to mean something in broadcasting. NUJ members who worked for the BBC or other broadcasters cared about the place they worked and wanted to shape a career with their chosen employer. This concept has been rubbished over the last few years, seen as an old fashioned and somehow unworthy. Mobility is the key. People should work for the highest bidder and expect to change jobs, flip-flopping several times during a career. This practice has been especially prevalent at the top. And like over paid premiership footballers they kiss the badge of their current club only to take their boots elsewhere the minute a more tempting offer comes in. Many within the BBC will not forgive Michael Grade for his hasty departure. Senior personnel come and go showing no loyalty or commitment to the organisation they represent. How can they expect staff to feel differently?