Nice work if you can get it

It is astonishing how long BBC political presenters & journalists can go on for – unlike the ‘here today – gone tomorrow’ politicians. David Dimbleby must be coming up to – if he has not already reached – his half century, albeit that in his early days he honed his skills putting scripted questions to schoolchildren on Top of the Form. Not even civil servants last that long

They have unprecedented protection – rarely interviewed, almost never challengingly. Their personal lives, though not necessarily uncovered by the press, do not attract much comment, & certainly not of the If he can lie to his wife he can lie to us variety. We just carry on believing them

And, although we pay through the licence fee, we are not allowed to know how much they are paid. Even if you buy that one, there is absolutely no reason why we should not be able to pour over their expenses claims. Is the BBC covered by the Freedom of Information Act?

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BBC & political respect