ABSTRACT
Since 1974, when Anthony Smith summed up the achievements of British broadcasting with these lines, and even though most of the world maintains that exalted opinion of the BBC, much has happened. The great sixty-odd-years-old institution, the BBC, has been rocked, not so much by demands on savings or run-away costs, but by conflicts with other parts of the British establishment. In terms of verbal intensity, attacks from the right have dominated. The left, via observers such as the Glasgow Media Group, have also been persistent critics, claiming that ordinary people, strikers, peace activists, or indeed anyone questioning the status quo, are not welcome contributors, nor are they seen as worthy of coverage.
