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Director-General calls for new dialogue to restore trust in British public
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Mark Thompson, Director-General of the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳, is calling for a new dialogue aimed at restoring trust in British public life.
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In a speech in London this evening (15 January) the Director-General says that broadcasters have learned salutary lessons on the subject of trust.
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"Trust in 21st century Britain is fragile for everyone. Trust in a given institution may be based on a great tradition and great inherited values, but it depends on what you do today. It has to be earned and earned again. And the higher the trust, the higher the public expectation," says Mr Thompson.
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In considering what should be done about trust in public life, the Director-General rejects calls for tighter regulation of the press.
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Referring to a speech made by Tony Blair last June, Mr Thompson says Mr Blair had been right to suggest that the relationship between the media and the public sphere in Britain had been damaged.
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But he adds: "It's difficult to see how any new regulation consistent with press freedom could significantly address the ills he listed that day. And if my diagnosis of the problem is right tighter regulation might actually increase rather than decrease public distrust."
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Mr Thompson calls for reflection on the issue from everyone: politicians, media and the public.
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But he says he wants to avoid lecturing anyone in the ways they should change.
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Instead, it is important that someone makes the first move, and "no one is better placed to do that than the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳."
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In addition to measures aimed at safeguarding trust following problems with interactivity and the documentary about the Queen, the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ now aims to undertake a number of new initiatives which will:
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 Transform the way the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ connects with British democracy – and all of its many democratic institutions – by establishing the world's most creative multimedia portal which will offer comprehensive political coverage and analysis to every secondary school in the UK.
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Build on the success of the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳'s College of Journalism by working with partners such as the Reuters Institute, university departments and the media to provide open access to the corporation's multimedia journalism resources and training.
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Evolve and develop output to create more opportunities for in-depth multi-platform set-pieces on a range of major stories throughout the year.
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Make output which explores ideas about policy and policy choices rather than simply react to what's been said and also try harder to expose serious spin. Ìý
One thing ruled out, however, is an end to tough political interviews.
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"It's sometimes suggested that the solution to the problem of trust would be to tone down some of our interviewing," says Mr Thompson.
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"If only people like John Humphrys and Nick Robinson and Jeremy Paxman were less aggressive, the public's confidence in politics and politicians would be restored and their cynicism would evaporate.
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"Well, not on my watch. I don't believe that the public want to see less rigour in our questioning of politicians and other public figures: if anything, they want to see more," he said.
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Mr Thompson says that long-term research into attitudes on trust does not support the view that the public are more distrustful about those in public life.
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"British scepticism about those in public life is not a new phenomenon. Most people doubted politicians' motives even in the 'good old days'. Ipsos-Mori's work over a generation does not show clear evidence of a large-scale long-term decline, let alone a crisis. If anything, both ministers and journalists have seen a slight improvement in recent years – albeit bumping along a very low base."
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"The British public do not believe that our political system is riddled with corruption – they're actually rather less likely to say they think politicians are in it for selfish motives than citizens in many other western countries. Many of them do believe that, for whatever reasons, politicians and government ministers and officials cannot be relied upon to tell them anything like the whole truth."
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"It seems reasonable to conclude then that one of the biggest drivers of the loss of confidence in government, and by extension in other institutions, is not sleaze, not contempt for the motives that lead people into public life, but rather a deep and growing scepticism about whether either the system or the individuals within it can ever be trusted to reveal what's really going on."
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Public trust, concludes Mr Thompson, is the life-blood of the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ – which is why the corporation has taken its own problems with trust so seriously in recent months.
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But the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ also could have a special role in addressing the wider question of public trust.
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"In my view this is not a crisis – but it is a real problem with real consequences. It arises less from doubts about the motives of people in public life, more from an anxiety about truth-telling and the gulf that exists between this country's technocratic elite and much of its population."
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The ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ cannot solve the problem on its own, he says, but can help kick start the process.
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"I don't think there is anything more important that I can do in my time as editor-in-chief of this organisation," he concludes.
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³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Press Office
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