The Attempt to Silence Gary Lineker Has Exposed Something Vile
The BBC took action to supress the free speech of sports pundit Gary Lineker after right-wing media with a long history of dehumanising refugees ranted vehemently about him for days. This apparent collusion between the BBC and xenophobic elements of the right-wing establishment has revealed something very disturbing to the wider population.
The fact that some people see no problem with the Tory establishment, whether in parliament or newspaper officers, ordering a freelance sports commentator to shut up and not comment (on his own Twitter account) if he disagrees with the ruling party is a problem in itself. It is critical to grasp that the BBC is a public broadcaster NOT a state broadcaster.
Examples of countries with state media include Russia, North Korea and China. The rise of the Nazis in Germany was enabled by independent media being either taken over or purged by the far-right. Media independence and freedom for citizens to criticise government are cornerstones of democracy.
Attempts by the right to turn the BBC into a state broadcaster is at the heart the Lineker fiasco — and at the heart of major shifts at the BBC over the past decade. It is critical to understand what’s happened (and is happening ever-faster) as we hurtle towards an election. The BBC is funded by taxpayers —…
