John Simpson, 82, says BBC in worst crisis and licence fee 'has had it'
In a Radio Times interview, BBC world affairs editor John Simpson spoke about being tortured in Beirut and about the BBC's future. He said the licence fee "has had it". The Daily Mail led on his BBC remarks.
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The story, neutrally told
Mixed · 2John Simpson, the BBC's 82-year-old world affairs editor, told Radio Times that the BBC is in "the worst position the BBC has ever been in", after about six decades with the corporation. Radio TimesN “I do think this is the worst position the BBC has ever been in.” Read at Radio Times ↗ Daily MailR “The 82-year-old, who has been with the corporation for six decades” Read at Daily Mail ↗ Centre · 1He said there is "a real possibility that we're going to lose it as it is unless the Government and the BBC together can come up with a decent way of funding it". Radio TimesN “I think there is a real possibility that we’re going to lose it as it is unless the Government and the BBC together can come up with a decent way of funding it.” Read at Radio Times ↗ Mixed · 2Asked whether the licence fee should continue in some form, Simpson said "No, I think the licence fee has had it". He said people who stop paying still watch the BBC and compared non-payment to "shoplifting". Radio TimesN ““No, I think the licence fee has had it,” he says bluntly.” Read at Radio Times ↗ Daily MailR “For me, that's just like shoplifting.” Read at Daily Mail ↗
Centre · 1Simpson said his preferred solution is a mandatory household levy collected and run by a body independent of both Whitehall and the BBC, paid by everyone "like we pay for our defence". He acknowledged that the Government has turned this down. Radio TimesN “Simpson believes that a mandatory household levy collected and administered by a body independent of both Whitehall and the BBC is the best solution” Read at Radio Times ↗ Mixed · 2He said he had met the new director-general, Matt Brittin, whom he called "a nice man", and told him the BBC is "too timid" and "not proud enough of itself" and listens too much to critics. He added that many newspapers have an ideological and commercial reason for running the BBC down. Radio TimesN “I said it’s too timid, it’s not proud enough of itself. It listens all the time to its critics.” Read at Radio Times ↗ Daily MailR “ex-Google boss Matt Brittin” Read at Daily Mail ↗ Centre · 1Simpson said that, in his view, the Libyan leader Gaddafi was the worst person he had met and Nelson Mandela the person he was most grateful to have known. He said Mandela would have been furious that President Trump is suing the BBC for $10 billion. Radio TimesN “God knows what he would say about President Trump suing it for $10 billion.” Read at Radio Times ↗
Centre · 1In the interview he also described being captured in Beirut about 20 years before 2003 by a group he called "extremist nutters", who accused him of being a spy. He said they tortured him, including sexual abuse he said he had not previously told anyone about, and staged a mock execution. He said he felt ashamed that, had he known anything, he would have told them. Radio TimesN ““They said I was a spy and they tortured me in nasty ways that, even now, I don’t want to think about.””““I was in there for three or four hours and then they made me kneel down and did a mock execution.” Read at Radio Times ↗ Centre · 1He called the worst of his battlefield experiences the 2003 Iraq invasion friendly-fire bombing, in which 17 people were killed, including his translator. Radio TimesN ““Seventeen people were killed, including my translator.” Read at Radio Times ↗ Mixed · 2Radio Times said some of this will feature in a documentary about his broadcast life this week. The Daily Mail linked his remarks to BBC cuts aimed at saving £500million over three years, including job cuts at BBC Sport and the axing of Winterwatch, Live at the Apollo, Blankety Blank and Celebrity Mastermind. Radio TimesN “some of which will feature in this week’s documentary about his broadcast life” Read at Radio Times ↗ Daily MailR “His comments come after a spate of cancellations at the Beeb in a bid to save £500million over three years.” Read at Daily Mail ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left0 outlets
No left outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Centre1 outlet
- Framing
- Radio Times runs a long, personal profile of Simpson's career, with torture, war and the BBC's future as its themes.
- Emphasis
- His Beirut torture, the Iraq bombing, his marriages, Gaddafi and Mandela, then the BBC's funding crisis and AI.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not mention the BBC's £500million savings or specific programme cuts.
- Charged language
- “horrifically tortured”“silverback”
- For example
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“John Simpson opens up about being horrifically tortured, the worst and best people he's ever met, and how he'd save the BBC” — Radio Times
“'The BBC is in the worst position it has ever been': John Simpson on war, survival and the Corporation's future” — Radio Times
Right1 outlet
- Framing
- The Daily Mail turns the interview into a short BBC-crisis story built on the licence fee and 'shoplifters' remarks.
- Emphasis
- Licence fee comments, Simpson's criticism of the BBC being 'too timid', and recent BBC cuts and cancellations.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Leaves out his torture account, the personal material and his proposed independent household levy.
- Charged language
- “worst crisis in its history”“shoplifters”“the Beeb”
- For example
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“BBC is facing the worst crisis in its history and licence fee 'has had it', warns John Simpson” — Daily Mail
“he branded viewers who do not pay the licence fee 'shoplifters'” — Daily Mail
What every side reports
- Simpson, 82, told Radio Times the BBC is in its worst position ever.
- He said the licence fee 'has had it' and likened non-payment to shoplifting.
- He told new director-general Matt Brittin the BBC is too timid.
John Simpson person
Presents himself as a long-time defender of the BBC who believes it must be properly funded, with a mandatory independent levy as his preferred fix, and who criticises it as too timid.
“I feel the BBC constitutes the essence of what it is to be British” — Radio Times
“has previously praised it for having a 'backbone'” — Daily Mail
BBC organisation
Shown through Simpson's account: facing funding pressure and cuts, with a new director-general, Matt Brittin, who asked what is wrong with it. No BBC statement is quoted.
“BBC Sport is cutting jobs and has scrapped its lunchtime and overnight bulletins.” — Daily Mail
Left0 articles
No coverage yet.
Centre2 articles
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Sympathetic Admiring, personal profile of a veteran correspondent, giving his views on the BBC's crisis alongside his war experiences.
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Sympathetic Headline leads with Simpson's 'worst position' quote on the BBC's survival and future.
Right1 article
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BBC is facing the worst crisis in its history and licence fee 'has had it', warns John Simpson
Critical Short crisis piece foregrounding the licence-fee and 'shoplifters' remarks and pairing them with a list of BBC cuts.
- 5 Oct 17:01 First Radio TimesN John Simpson opens up about being horrifically tortured, the worst and best people he's ever met, and how he'd save the BBC
- 5 Oct 18:50 +1h 48m Radio TimesN 'The BBC is in the worst position it has ever been': John Simpson on war, survival and the Corporation's future
- 6 Oct 00:01 +7h Daily MailR BBC is facing the worst crisis in its history and licence fee 'has had it', warns John Simpson
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.