Trust and the BBC: does the public believe in its biggest broadcaster?
The reputation of the BBC and the extent to which it is trusted by the public will be examined in detail by a BBC Trustee in the next instalment of the Great Minds guest lecture series.
Suzanna Taverne will draw on her five years’ experience working with the broadcaster to examine three core questions: Why is the BBC trusted? What affects this trust? Will the BBC continue to be trusted in future? In her role as a BBC Trustee, she oversees the Services Committee, and is a member of the Value for Money Committee.
Her Great Minds guest lecture at the University of Lincoln is entitled, Trust and the BBC. It will take place at 11.30am on 24th November 2016 at 11.30am at the Engine Shed on the University’s main Brayford Pool campus. Admission to the public is free but prior booking is essential. The talk will be followed by a Q&A with members of the audience.
The event comes ahead of the publication of a new Royal Charter for the BBC, which will set out how the organisation will be governed, funded and regulated over the next decade.
Suzanna said: “The BBC is one of the most recognised broadcasters in the world and the most trusted source of news in the UK. It continues to play a central role in the UK’s cultural and political life, with 97 per cent of licence fee payers using BBC services for an average of more than 18 hours a week.
“I will be looking at the building blocks of people’s trust in the BBC: the range and quality of its content and services; its independence and impartiality; and whether it provides good value for money. I’m asking how trust in the BBC is holding up in an environment in which media channels and platforms are proliferating and the demographic makeup and behaviour of the audience is changing? Is the BBC’s independence in danger of being eroded? What is the impact of devolution and changing voting patterns? How well has the BBC management coped with the Savile affair and the challenges of pay, bureaucracy and reduced resources?”
Suzanna’s career has spanned finance, education, culture, and media, in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors. She has worked at the Independent newspaper, Saatchi & Saatchi, Pearson and the FT Group, Imperial College London and was Managing Director of the British Museum responsible for delivering the £100m Great Court millennium project.
The University of Lincoln’s Great Minds guest lecture series aims to provide inspirational insights into different aspects of society – from the entertainment world to elite sport. Places are available to students, staff and members of the public. Admission is free but booking is essential.
This season’s Great Minds series has so far included appearances by rugby sporting great Rory Underwood, Lord Victor Adebowale CBE, Chancellor of the University of Lincoln and a cross bench member of the House of Lords, and BBC Autumnwatch presenter Chris Packham.
To book a place at the Great Minds guest lecture visit www.lincoln.ac.uk/events, email events@lincoln.ac.uk or phone 01522 837100.