DOCSLIB.ORG

BBC News: Defining Britishness in the Early Wenty-Firstt Century

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
BBC News: Defining Britishness in the Early Wenty-Firstt Century Old Dominion University ODU Digital Commons English Theses & Dissertations English Summer 2017 BBC News: Defining Britishness in the Early wenty-FirstT Century Christine Gilroy-Reynolds Old Dominion University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/english_etds Part of the Mass Communication Commons, and the Rhetoric Commons Recommended Citation Gilroy-Reynolds, Christine. "BBC News: Defining Britishness in the Early wenty-FirstT Century" (2017). Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Dissertation, English, Old Dominion University, DOI: 10.25777/x8ea-s841 https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/english_etds/33 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the English at ODU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in English Theses & Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ODU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. BBC NEWS: DEFINING BRITISHNESS IN THE EARLY TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY by Christine Gilroy-Reynolds B.A. May 2003, King’s College M.A. May 2008, West Chester University M.Ed. December 2008, West Chester University A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of Old Dominion University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY ENGLISH OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY August 2017 Approved by: Kevin Moberly (Director) Kevin DePew (Member) Louise Wetherbee Phelps (Member) Avi Santo (Member) ABSTRACT BBC NEWS: DEFINING BRITISHNESS IN THE EARLY TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY Christine Gilroy-Reynolds Old Dominion University, 2017 Director: Kevin Moberly According to the BBC’s 2006 Royal Charter, the BBC situations itself rhetorically within the notions of ‘public value’ and its commitment to, among other things, "d) representing the UK, its nations, regions and communities; e) bringing the UK to the world and the world to the UK [...]"(2-3). In order to achieve these goals, the BBC must define that which it represents particularly when dealing with the news. While BBC News claims to be impartial, rhetorically, impartiality is impossible when committing to the pursuit of definition and representation. In defining “Britishness,” BBC News must negotiate Britain’s global position as post-colonial, or neo-colonial, and European, as well as the heterogeneous nature of Britain. This dissertation will demonstrate a model for exploring the motives of the BBC News’ output using three case studies: a news report on the 2005 London transit bombings; a report on the 2006 Mumbai transit bombings; and a news report related to the 2014 Scottish Independence Referendum. The motives of the BBC must be examined, particularly because of the BBC’s unique connection to the British government. Analyzing BBC News productions through the lenses of Stuart Hall’s Encoding and Decoding model, as well as Kenneth Burkes’ Dramatist model, gives scholars the opportunity to analyze the choices made by the BBC. By exploring how these choices fit into a modification of Herman and Chomsky’s Propaganda Model, scholars can gain a greater understanding of the motivations of the BBC’s construction of Britishness from its heterogeneous audiences as well as how the corporation constructs the national good as a public value. The outcome of the Brexit referendum demonstrates that despite a projection of united Britishness, Britain is a heterogeneous space comprising of a multitude of performances of Britishness. As the United Kingdom undergoes shifts in foreign and intra-national relations, how the BBC reports on related topics will be of importance in performing new versions of Britishness. How the BBC attempts to homogenize Britishness will allow scholars to consider the motives of both the BBC and the desires of the government. iv Copyright, 2017, by Christine Gilroy-Reynolds, All Rights Reserved. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First, I would like to thank my professors, colleagues, and peers in the English department for imparting their knowledge, sharing their wisdom, and for inspiring me throughout my years at Old Dominion. In particular, I want to thank my committee, Kevin DePew, Louise Wetherbee Phelps, and Avi Santo for all of their work with this project. Their input has been truly appreciated. To my dissertation chair, Kevin Moberly, I extend my gratitude for being a great teacher, mentor, and friend. Kevin has taught me how to be a better scholar and writer, as well as how to efficiently carve a pumpkin. Through his example I have also learned how to better guide my own students. Many thanks to my Mom and Dad who made sure I had an excellent education from which to build my further academic career. They gave me all the opportunities for success possible which I appreciate more than words can say. Finally, to my husband Phillip Gilroy-Reynolds: we met at the beginning of this journey, and you have held my hand when I’ve stumbled. Without your support, encouragement, and endless tea-making, I don’t know how I would have managed. I do know it would have been a lot less fun. I love you with all my heart, and I’m so happy to continue our adventures together. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page I. INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................1 PERFORMANCE, PRODUCT, OR PROPAGANDA? ..........................................1 METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................12 CASE SUMMARIES ............................................................................................20 II. LITERATURE REVIEW ..................................................................................................23 A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE BBC ......................................................................23 A GLOBAL AUDIENCE ......................................................................................34 THEORETICAL FOREGROUND ........................................................................40 ENCODING AND DECODING ...............................................................43 THE PROPAGANDA MODEL ................................................................45 RHETORICAL MODES ...........................................................................47 THE SOCIAL SCIENCE CONNECTION ................................................50 CONCLUSION ......................................................................................................52 III. THE 2005 LONDON BOMBINGS ..................................................................................54 KEEPING CALM AND CARRYING ON............................................................61 THE MEDIATED NARRATIVE ..........................................................................64 ENCODING THE BRITISH REACTION ............................................................76 THE PROPAGANDA MODEL ............................................................................84 CONCLUSION ......................................................................................................88 IV. THE MUMBAI BOMBINGS OF 2006 .............................................................................91 IMPERIALISM AND INDIA ................................................................................92 BURKE AND MUMBAI ......................................................................................98 HALL’S SYMBOLS AND MODELS ..................................................................99 THE PROPAGANDA MODEL ..........................................................................104 EMBODIMENT ..................................................................................................109 WORTHY AND UNWORTHY VICTIMS .........................................................112 CONCLUSION ....................................................................................................115 V. THE SCOTTISH INDEPENDENCE REFERENDUM ..................................................117 MODERN SCOTTISH/BRITISH IDENTITY ....................................................124 THE BBC AND SCOTLAND .............................................................................126 THE BBC AND THE REFERENDUM ..............................................................128 BURKEAN ACTION ..........................................................................................133 ENCODING AND DECODING ALEX SALMOND’S RESPONSE ................134 PROPAGANDA AND THE REFERENDUM ....................................................138 CONCLUSION ....................................................................................................148 vii Chapter Page VI. TOWARDS THE FUTURE ............................................................................................150 WORKS CITED ..........................................................................................................................161 VITA ............................................................................................................................................171 1 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Performance, Product, or Propaganda? The summer of 2013 brought a handful of reports from Britain’s newspaper The Telegraph detailing various scandals, investigations, and reports on bias involving the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). On August 11, Hayley Dixon detailed a study demonstrating statistical evidence for left wing bias in the BBC (“BBC is Biased Towards Left”). However nearly two weeks before this information was reviewed, Graeme Archer of
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Statement: Ofcom's Plan of Work 2021/22
    Ofcom’s plan of work 2021/22 Making communications work for everyone Ofcom’s plan of work 2021/22 – Welsh translation STATEMENT: Publication Date: 26 March 2021 Contents Section 1. Chief Executive’s foreword 1 2. Overview 3 3. Our goals and priorities for 2021/22 9 4. Delivering good outcomes for consumers across the UK 31 Annex A1. What we do 37 A2. Project work for 2021/2022 39 Plan of Work 2021/22 1. Chief Executive’s foreword Ofcom is the UK’s communications regulator, with a mission to make communications work for everyone. We serve the interests of consumers and businesses across the UK’s nations and regions, through our work in mobile and fixed telecoms, broadcasting, spectrum, post and online services. Over the past year we have learned that being connected is everything. High-quality, reliable communications services have never mattered more to people’s lives. But as consumers shift their habits increasingly online, our communications sectors are transforming fast. It is an exciting moment for our industries and for Ofcom as a regulator - it requires long-term focus alongside speed and agility in response to change. Against this backdrop our statement sets out our detailed goals for the coming financial year, and how we plan to achieve them. On telecoms, Ofcom has just confirmed a new long-term framework for investment in gigabit- capable fixed networks. In the coming year, we will shift our focus to support delivery against this programme, alongside investment and innovation in 5G and new mobile infrastructure. Following legislation in Parliament, we will put in place new rules to hold operators to account for the security and resilience of their networks.
    [Show full text]
  • From Callaghan to Credit Crunch
    From Callaghan to Credit Crunch: Changing Trends in British Television News 1975-2009 Steven Barnett and Gordon Neil Ramsay, University of Westminster, and Ivor Gaber, University of Bedfordshire January 2012 Table of Contents Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................ 2 1. Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 5 2. Methodology ................................................................................................................................. 11 3. Results I: Overall News Trends .................................................................................................... 14 4. Results II: Subcategory Analysis .................................................................................................. 25 5. Qualitative Analysis ...................................................................................................................... 27 6. Conclusions ................................................................................................................................... 33 Appendices ............................................................................................................................................ 36 Acknowledgements This study has been funded by the Leverhulme Trust. We are very grateful to the Trust for enabling us to continue our analysis and provide the
    [Show full text]
  • Press Freedom Under Attack
    LEVESON’S ILLIBERAL LEGACY AUTHORS HELEN ANTHONY MIKE HARRIS BREAKING SASHY NATHAN PADRAIG REIDY NEWS FOREWORD BY PROFESSOR TIM LUCKHURST PRESS FREEDOM UNDER ATTACK , LEVESON S ILLIBERAL LEGACY FOREWORD EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. WHY IS THE FREE PRESS IMPORTANT? 2. THE LEVESON INQUIRY, REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS 2.1 A background to Leveson: previous inquiries and press complaints bodies 2.2 The Leveson Inquiry’s Limits • Skewed analysis • Participatory blind spots 2.3 Arbitration 2.4 Exemplary Damages 2.5 Police whistleblowers and press contact 2.6 Data Protection 2.7 Online Press 2.8 Public Interest 3. THE LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK – A LEGAL ANALYSIS 3.1 A rushed and unconstitutional regime 3.2 The use of statute to regulate the press 3.3 The Royal Charter and the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013 • The use of a Royal Charter • Reporting to Parliament • Arbitration • Apologies • Fines 3.4 The Crime and Courts Act 2013 • Freedom of expression • ‘Provided for by law’ • ‘Outrageous’ • ‘Relevant publisher’ • Exemplary damages and proportionality • Punitive costs and the chilling effect • Right to a fair trial • Right to not be discriminated against 3.5 The Press Recognition Panel 4. THE WIDER IMPACT 4.1 Self-regulation: the international norm 4.2 International response 4.3 The international impact on press freedom 5. RECOMMENDATIONS 6. CONCLUSION 3 , LEVESON S ILLIBERAL LEGACY 4 , LEVESON S ILLIBERAL LEGACY FOREWORD BY TIM LUCKHURST PRESS FREEDOM: RESTORING BRITAIN’S REPUTATION n January 2014 I felt honour bound to participate in a meeting, the very ‘Our liberty cannot existence of which left me saddened be guarded but by the and ashamed.
    [Show full text]
  • A Channel Guide
    Intelsat is the First MEDIA Choice In Africa Are you ready to provide top media services and deliver optimal video experience to your growing audiences? With 552 channels, including 50 in HD and approximately 192 free to air (FTA) channels, Intelsat 20 (IS-20), Africa’s leading direct-to- home (DTH) video neighborhood, can empower you to: Connect with Expand Stay agile with nearly 40 million your digital ever-evolving households broadcasting reach technologies From sub-Saharan Africa to Western Europe, millions of households have been enjoying the superior video distribution from the IS-20 Ku-band video neighborhood situated at 68.5°E orbital location. Intelsat 20 is the enabler for your TV future. Get on board today. IS-20 Channel Guide 2 CHANNEL ENC FR P CHANNEL ENC FR P 947 Irdeto 11170 H Bonang TV FTA 12562 H 1 Magic South Africa Irdeto 11514 H Boomerang EMEA Irdeto 11634 V 1 Magic South Africa Irdeto 11674 H Botswana TV FTA 12634 V 1485 Radio Today Irdeto 11474 H Botswana TV FTA 12657 V 1KZN TV FTA 11474 V Botswana TV Irdeto 11474 H 1KZN TV Irdeto 11594 H Bride TV FTA 12682 H Nagravi- Brother Fire TV FTA 12562 H 1KZN TV sion 11514 V Brother Fire TV FTA 12602 V 5 FM FTA 11514 V Builders Radio FTA 11514 V 5 FM Irdeto 11594 H BusinessDay TV Irdeto 11634 V ABN FTA 12562 H BVN Europa Irdeto 11010 H Access TV FTA 12634 V Canal CVV International FTA 12682 H Ackermans Stores FTA 11514 V Cape Town TV Irdeto 11634 V ACNN FTA 12562 H CapeTalk Irdeto 11474 H Africa Magic Epic Irdeto 11474 H Capricorn FM Irdeto 11170 H Africa Magic Family Irdeto
    [Show full text]
  • Annual Report on the BBC 2019/20
    Ofcom’s Annual Report on the BBC 2019/20 Published 25 November 2020 Raising awarenessWelsh translation available: Adroddiad Blynyddol Ofcom ar y BBC of online harms Contents Overview .................................................................................................................................... 2 The ongoing impact of Covid-19 ............................................................................................... 6 Looking ahead .......................................................................................................................... 11 Performance assessment ......................................................................................................... 16 Public Purpose 1: News and current affairs ........................................................................ 24 Public Purpose 2: Supporting learning for people of all ages ............................................ 37 Public Purpose 3: Creative, high quality and distinctive output and services .................... 47 Public Purpose 4: Reflecting, representing and serving the UK’s diverse communities .... 60 The BBC’s impact on competition ............................................................................................ 83 The BBC’s content standards ................................................................................................... 89 Overview of our duties ............................................................................................................ 96 1 Overview This is our third
    [Show full text]
  • Service Review
    Editorial Standards Findings Appeals to the Trust and other editorial issues considered by the Editorial Standards Committee December 2012 issued February 2013 Getting the best out of the BBC for licence fee payers Editorial Standards Findings/Appeals to the Trust and other editorial issues considered Contentsby the Editorial Standards Committee Remit of the Editorial Standards Committee 2 Summaries of findings 4 Appeal Findings 6 Silent Witness, BBC One, 22 April 2012, 9pm 6 Application of Expedited Procedure at Stage 1 14 News Bulletins, BBC Radio Shropshire, 26 & 27 March 2012 19 Watson & Oliver, BBC Two, 7 March 2012, 7.30pm 26 Rejected Appeals 38 5 live Investigates: Cyber Stalking, BBC Radio 5 live and Podcast, 1 May 2011; and Cyber- stalking laws: police review urged, BBC Online, 1 May 2011 38 Olympics 2012, BBC One, 29 July 2012 2 Today, BBC Radio 4, 29 May 2012 5 Bang Goes the Theory, BBC One, 16 April 2012 9 Have I Got News For You, BBC Two, 27 May 2011and Have I Got A Bit More News For You, 2 May 2012 16 Application of expedited complaint handling procedure at Stage 1 21 Look East, BBC One 24 December 2012 issued February 2013 Editorial Standards Findings/Appeals to the Trust and other editorial issues considered by the Editorial Standards Committee Remit of the Editorial Standards Committee The Editorial Standards Committee (ESC) is responsible for assisting the Trust in securing editorial standards. It has a number of responsibilities, set out in its Terms of Reference at http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/assets/files/pdf/about/how_we_operate/committees/2011/esc_t or.pdf.
    [Show full text]
  • Discographic Workshop Part 3A – Doctor Who Theme (RESL 11)
    http://bbcrecords.co.uk/blog/?p=717 Discographic Workshop Part 3A – Doctor Who Theme (RESL 11) Doctor Who We (ahem) materialise into the third part (and half-way point) of a thorough review of all the BBC Records (& Tapes) releases featuring the Radiophonic Workshop. Previous parts have taken an in-depth look at the compilation albums and the solo LPs. This part is all about the Workshop’s many dealings with The Doctor and this post is dedicated the first such release. Doctor Who (hereafter, DW) began on BBC TV in 1963, and with a little help from the Daleks, was a ratings smash hit, reaching viewing figures of 12 million. The show continued to be hugely popular right through to the eighties, when it finally lost its footing and was cancelled after series number 26, in 1989. Of course, it was resurrected in 2005 and continues to this day, as exciting and popular as ever, but here we’re going to look back to the golden age of the original series. The BBC Radiophonic Workshop were part of DW production from the very start and did much to contribute to the success of the show in its early days. Initially, theme music and sound effects, then later the incidental music was augmented at the Workshop and finally, for a period, all the show’s music was coming from their Maida Vale studios. Any Radiophonic music was extremely time consuming to produce in 1963 however, and until the advent of relatively cheap and playable keyboard synthesizers, along with high quality multi- track recorders, it simply wasn’t practical from the Workshop to soundtrack hours and hours of television every year.
    [Show full text]
  • BBC Complaints Framework and Procedures
    BBC Complaints Framework and Procedures June 2020 Confidential BBC Complaints Framework and Procedures i Introduction 4 1 BBC Complaints Framework 6 What is a complaint? ............................................................................ 6 Principles .............................................................................................. 6 Procedures ........................................................................................... 8 2 Editorial Complaints Procedure 9 What is an editorial complaint? ............................................................. 9 Editorial Complaints process ................................................................ 9 How to complain ................................................................................. 10 Complaints that the BBC may not investigate .................................... 11 Stage 1a: What happens first when I make a complaint? ................... 12 Stage 1b: If I'm not satisfied with the reply, what can I do next? ........ 15 Stage 2: the Executive Complaints Unit (ECU).................................. 16 Investigations by the ECU .................................................................. 16 Complaining to Ofcom ........................................................................ 18 3 General Complaints Procedure 20 What is a General Complaint? ............................................................ 20 General Complaints Process .............................................................. 20 How to complain ................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Discographic Workshop Part 2C – More Solo Albums
    http://bbcrecords.co.uk/blog/?p=387 Discographic Workshop Part 2C – More Solo Albums Welcome to the third and final post in Part 2 of Discographic Workshop, which is dedicated to the solo albums of the Radiophonic Workshop. And, for want of a better place to put it, there’s also our first single. Through A Glass Darkly Through A Glass Darkly – REC 307 – 1978 “When you’re working from scratch there’s nothing’s worse than having the whole universe to choose from.” Peter Howell Peter Howell may have some misgivings about the blank canvas* offered by electronic music, but when he needed engage in a spot of self-promotion at the Workshop this was the challenge he took upon himself. In contrast to all the other Radiophonic releases reviewed here so far and to all of the other Radiophonic Workshop material released by BBC Records, this record was the composer’s own idea. *Or, rather, tape. Although that wasn’t always the case and as we’ll see in a later part, re-using tape sometimes brought its own serendipitous opportunities. How Well Do You Know Peter? Peter Howell was born in 1948 grew up around Brighton. As a fan of The Shadows he came to love the guitar and as the sixties started to swing he took that forward into an interest in the folky picking of Bert Jansch and Pentangle. He was supposed to follow his father into a career in law, but as we know that was not his true calling. By the late sixties Howell was playing and recording music with local bands.
    [Show full text]
  • Bad News for Disabled People: How the Newspapers Are Reporting Disability
    Strathclyde Centre for Disability Research and Glasgow Media Unit Bad News for Disabled People: How the newspapers are reporting disability In association with: Contents PAGE 1. Acknowledgements 2 2. Author details 3 3. Main findings 4 4. Summary 6 Part 2 5. Introduction 16 6. Methodology and Design 18 6.1 Content analysis 18 6.2 Audience reception analysis 20 7. Content analysis:Results 22 7.1 Political discussion and critiques of policy 22 7.2 Changes in the profile of disability coverage and ‘sympathetic’ portrayals 32 7.3 Changes in the profile of representations of the ‘undeserving’ disability claimant 38 8. Audience reception analysis 59 8.1 How is disability reported in the media 59 8.2 Views on disabled people 62 8.3 Views on benefits and benefit claimants 64 8.4 Views on government policy 67 9. Conclusion 69 10. References 73 Appendix 1. Coding schedule 80 Appendix 2. Detailed descriptors for coding and analysis 85 1 Acknowledgements This research was commissioned by Inclusion London and their financial sponsorship and administrative backing is gratefully recognised. In particular we would like to acknowledge the help and collaborative support of Anne Kane who provided us with very valuable and helpful advice throughout the research and had a significant input in the drafting of the final report. We would also like to thank the following researchers who worked in the Glasgow Media Group and who tirelessly, carefully and painstakingly undertook the content analysis of the media: Stevie Docherty, Louise Gaw, Daniela Latina, Colin Macpherson, Hannah Millar and Sarah Watson. We are grateful to Allan Sutherland and Jo Ferrie for their contributions to the data collection.
    [Show full text]
  • The Production of Religious Broadcasting: the Case of The
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by OpenGrey Repository The Production of Religious Broadcasting: The Case of the BBC Caitriona Noonan A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Centre for Cultural Policy Research Department of Theatre, Film and Television University of Glasgow Glasgow G12 8QQ December 2008 © Caitriona Noonan, 2008 Abstract This thesis examines the way in which media professionals negotiate the occupational challenges related to television and radio production. It has used the subject of religion and its treatment within the BBC as a microcosm to unpack some of the dilemmas of contemporary broadcasting. In recent years religious programmes have evolved in both form and content leading to what some observers claim is a “renaissance” in religious broadcasting. However, any claims of a renaissance have to be balanced against the complex institutional and commercial constraints that challenge its long-term viability. This research finds that despite the BBC’s public commitment to covering a religious brief, producers in this style of programming are subject to many of the same competitive forces as those in other areas of production. Furthermore those producers who work in-house within the BBC’s Department of Religion and Ethics believe that in practice they are being increasingly undermined through the internal culture of the Corporation and the strategic decisions it has adopted. This is not an intentional snub by the BBC but a product of the pressure the Corporation finds itself under in an increasingly competitive broadcasting ecology, hence the removal of the protection once afforded to both the department and the output.
    [Show full text]
  • Annex 12 Models for Nations and Regions PSB Television
    Ofcom Public Service Broadcasting Review Models for Nations and Regions PSB Television: A Focus on Scotland An Overview by Oliver & Ohlbaum Associates Ltd September 2008 DISCLAIMER This report has been produced by Oliver & Ohlbaum Associates Limited (“O&O”) for Ofcom as part of the ongoing Review of Public Service Broadcasting (the “PSB Review”, ”the Project”). While the information provided herein is believed to be accurate, O&O makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the accuracy or completeness of such information. The information contained herein was prepared expressly for use herein and is based on certain assumptions and information available at the time this report was prepared. There is no representation, warranty or other assurance that any of the projections or estimates will be realised, and nothing contained within this report is or should be relied upon as a promise or representation as to the future. In furnishing this report, O&O reserves the right to amend or replace the report at any time and undertakes no obligation to provide the users with access to any additional information. O&O’s principal task has been to collect, analyse and present data on the market and its prospects under a number of potential scenarios. O&O has not been asked to verify the accuracy of the information it has received from whatever source. Although O&O has been asked to express its opinion on the market and business prospects, it has never been the users’ intention that O&O should be held legally liable for its judgements in this regard.
    [Show full text]