RM Issue #030810

Letters National Post
Thursday, August 07, 2003

Re: The BBC Has Been Captured by the Left, George Jonas, Aug. 6.

The insightful analysis of public broadcasting in the United Kingdom and Canada by Mr. Jonas will, I am sure, rekindle the debate on the role of government funded media in a democratic society.

Mr. Jonas clearly articulates the dilemma faced by publicly funded media: they are either viewed as usurping the governments that fund them (as currently is the case with the BBC), or they are viewed as lap-dogs of the governments that fund them (as is the case with the CBC). Both situations are unpalatable in a democratic society and reinforce the need for democratic societies to rid themselves of such forms of media.

Canadians have demonstrated an increasing intolerance with entrenched oligarchies: witness the reaction to the court's decision on gay marriages and ongoing disgust with a Senate that serves little purpose other than being a source of patronage and reward for the government of the day. Hopefully, Mr. Jonas's essay will reinvigorate a discussion on the merits of the CBC and its role in Canadian society.

Perhaps a discussion on the ultimate fate of the CBC should begin with a review of how the CBC is funded. A funding formula based on market share will enable average Canadians to determine the fate of the CBC and not leave such decisions to the self-interested elites that currently dominate.

Gordon S. Clarry, Barrie, Ont.