International One-Day Conference

Sorbonne Nouvelle University (CREW) / University of Rennes 2 (ACE) / University of Limoges (EHIC)

The BBC’s democratic role, as a guarantor of different perspectives and a bulwark against disinformation, is to provide a rigorous information base, an accessible space for discussion and debate, and a cultural offering for all, each essential to social cohesion and the vitality of British public life. Recent controversies over the BBC’s ability to live up to its mandate of impartiality are fuelling a process of delegitimisation that directly undermines its founding mission. The BBC, a pillar of British public service broadcasting, is indeed undergoing a new period of turbulence in its century long history. In November 2025, the release of a memo written by Michael Prescott, a former adviser to the institution, led to the resignations, in turn, of Director-General Tim Davie and Director of News Deborah Turness. The document denounces systemic bias in the treatment of sensitive topics, including the editing of a speech by Donald Trump following the events at Capitol Hill, coverage of the war in Gaza, and issues of gender identity and representation of LGBTQ+ people. 

As an institution in the sense defined by Douglass North (1990), the BBC is based on a set of formal rules (a Royal Charter renewed every ten years, supervision by Ofcom, legal obligations of impartiality) and informal constraints (professional standards, underpinned by organisational culture of public service, universal values and excellence). While the historical strength of this institutional framework has enabled the BBC to overcome numerous crises, its fragility has manifested itself in the face of simultaneous shocks calling into question its rules, standards and social legitimacy.

These tensions are coming to the surface in a context marked by growing political pressure, persistent criticism of editorial impartiality and increased competition from private channels. They raise several key questions about the future of British public service broadcasting: how best to maintain the principle of impartiality in an increasingly fragmented and polarised political and media environment? Are current criteria (balance of views, accuracy, transparency) still adequate and relevant? How to reconcile the traditional role of ‘guardian of democracy’ with the expectations of a digital society? How to meet the challenge of commercial players contesting the licence fee model? How can the BBC reconnect with increasingly distant young audiences? How can the risks of political, economic and ideological capture be addressed? How can the BBC’s democratic legitimacy be strengthened in a climate of widespread mistrust of institutions? 

Based on the assumption that allegations of bias reflect a deeper crisis of media representation within liberal democracies, this one-day conference aims to explore the multifaceted nature of this crisis by drawing on cross-disciplinary approaches from political science, information and communication studies, media history and cultural studies. 

Selected articles will be published in a special issue of the electronic journal InMedia ( https://journals.openedition.org/inmedia/ )

AREAS OF FOCUS

● The BBC’s editorial practices (between professional standards and political pressure: the editing of Donald Trump's speech, ethical and technical issues, international comparisons, etc.)

● Political pressures and governance (reform of the Royal Charter in 2027, editorial independence in the face of governmental and parliamentary pressures, etc.)

● The mechanisms of institutional change at work within the BBC (historical legacy, resilience, inertia, etc.)

● The BBC’s economic model (viability of the licence fee in the digital age, competition from private channels, etc.)

●  Audiences, trust and legitimacy (polls and reception studies, generations and usage, etc.)

● Diversity and inclusion in BBC news programmes (contradictory accusations of a ‘pro-trans agenda’ vs. institutional transphobia, the role of the ‘LGBT desk’: internal censorship or editorial safeguard, etc.)

● A national and international broadcaster (reputation, geographical reach, etc.)

REFERENCES

Barnett, S. (2014). ‘Crisis? What crisis? The real BBC catastrophe is yet to happen’. in: Mair, J., Tait, R. and Keeble, R.L. (ed.) Is the BBC in crisis? London Abramis Academic Publishing. pp. 176-182.

BBC Trust. (2007). From Seesaw to Wagon Wheel: Safeguarding Impartiality in the 21st Century.

Cushion S, Lewis J. (2017.) “Impartiality, statistical tit-for-tats and the construction of balance: UK television news reporting of the 2016 EU referendum campaign”. European Journal of Communication 32(3): 208–223.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport. (2022). Up Next: The Government's Vision for the Broadcasting Sector. London: DCMS.

Freedman, D. (2019). "'Public Service' and the Journalism Crisis: Is the BBC the Answer?" Television & New Media, 20(3), 203-218.

Franks, S. and Seaton J. (eds) (2024). “Informing, Educating and Entertaining for Democracy; the BBC at Home and Abroad: what public service should look like”, The Political Quarterly (special issue).

Hopmann, D. N., P. Van Aelst, and G. Legnante. (2011). “Political Balance in the News: A Review of Concepts, Operationalizations and Key Findings.” Journalism 13 (2): 240–257.

Knight S. (2025). “Public Service Media and Democracy in the Digital Age: A Critical Research Agenda.” The Responsible Innovation Centre for Public Media Futures.

Luengo, M., & Gil-López, T. (2024). “Breaching BBC impartiality rules: Journalism identity, institutional networks and social media”. Journalism, 26(10), 2125-2146

Mills, T. (2016). The BBC: Myth of a Public Service. London: Verso.

Nielsen, R. K., Fletcher, R., Sehl A. and Levy D. A. (2016).Analysis of the Relation Between and Impact of Public Service Media and Private Media. Oxford: Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. 

Norrie, R. (2023). BBC impartiality and the problem of bias. Civitas.

North, D. C. (1990). Institutions, Institutional Change and Economic Performance. Cambridge University Press.

Ofcom. (2022). Drivers of perceptions of due impartiality: The BBC and the wider news landscape. Ofcom

Ofcom. (2025). News Consumption in the UK: 2025. London: Ofcom.

Sambrook S. and Cushion S. (2023). “Impartiality in Public Broadcasting”. The Political Quarterly 95(1) 48-55.

Schulz, A., Levy, D. A. and Nielsen, R. K. (2019).Old, Educated, and Politically Diverse: The Audience of Public Service News. Oxford: Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism.

Seaton, J. (2021). “The BBC: Guardian of Public Understanding”. In: Boin, A., Fahy, L.A., ‘t Hart, P. (eds) Guardians of Public Value. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan

Sehl, A., Fletcher, R., and Picard, R.G. (2020).‘Crowding out: Is There Evidence That Public Service Media Harm Markets? A Cross-National Comparative Analysis of Commercial Television and Online News Providers’. European Journal of Communication 35 (4): 389–409.

Thompson, M. (2024), The Case for a Strong BBC. Cultural Sovereignty and Public Service Broadcasting in the Netflix Era. The Political Quarterly, 95: 12-19.

How to submit a paper: Please send an abstract of about 500 words with 5 keywords and a brief bibliography.

Working language: English

Submission deadline: 30 March 2026

Proposals should be submitted to the following addresses: emmanuelle.avril@sorbonne-nouvelle.fr, renee.dickason@univ-rennes2.fr, georges.fournier@unilim.fr, david.haigron@univ-rennes2.fr, laurence.harris@sorbonne-nouvelle.fr.

Notification to speakers: 01 June 2026

Scientific Committee:

Emmanuelle Avril, Professor, Sorbonne Nouvelle University

Renée Dickason, Professor, University of Rennes 2

Georges Fournier, Professor, University of Limoges

David Haigron, Associate Professor, University of Rennes 2

Laurence Harris, Associate Professor, Sorbonne Nouvelle University