CAMPAIGN group Republic has accused the BBC of a lack of impartiality in its coverage before the coronation of King Charles.
The group has accused the broadcaster of failing to hold the monarchy to account and have written to David Jordan, the BBC’s director of editorial and policy standards.
Graham Smith, Republic’s chief executive, said in the letter that the complaint is “particularly urgent in light of the forthcoming coronation” and that the campaign group is “seeking a number of assurances”.
Recent polling has shown as few as 15% of British people are enthusiastic about the coronation while republic has accused the BBC of serving “a shrinking minority of people”.
Smith said: “The result of the BBC’s failures is that the coverage serves the interests of a shrinking minority who could reasonably be called royalists. In doing so they do a disservice to the whole nation.
“We met with David Jordan in 2011, when the BBC said they would achieve balance ‘over time’. Twelve years later and we’re still waiting.
Republic has written to the BBC, issuing a strong rebuke of their royal and coronation coverage. We met with their senior executives 12 years ago. At the time the BBC said they would achieve balance 'over time'. We're still waiting. Here's the letter 👇#NotMyKing #OurBBCToo pic.twitter.com/q5E18PbRDe
— Republic (@RepublicStaff) April 17, 2023
“The BBC routinely misrepresents the monarchy and public opinion. They suggest the nation is celebrating major events when that simply isn’t the case, and the only expert opinion they invite on is that of royalists whose expertise is often little more than opinion and speculation.”
A BBC spokesperson said: “We believe our reporting is fair and duly impartial, and BBC News always seeks to reflect a range of viewpoints in our Royal coverage.”
The letter itself reads: “The evidence suggests the BBC not only fails to be impartial, but makes no attempt to be impartial or balanced and, most shockingly, openly colludes with the Palace in its coverage.
“It should be a source of deep shame for all those involved that, instead of such fearless reporting, we have insipid, vacuous and dishonest coverage from a BBC that is fearful of public opprobrium and Palace influence.”
The broadcaster sees the coronation as an event of historical significance and for many audiences in the UK and globally as something to celebrate.
Smith continued: “Support for abolition of the monarchy has climbed over 30% and support for the monarchy among people under 40 has dropped below 50%. Yet none of that is reflected in the BBC’s coverage.
“Three weeks out and BBC news programmes have made no attempt to engage with the organised opposition or to tackle the serious questions surrounding the royals.
“The BBC’s failures are only compounded by their open collusion with the Palace, allowing the royals to airbrush anything they don’t approve of from future broadcasts.
“We will continue to raise this issue with the BBC and will take it to Ofcom if necessary.”
