Free thinking

Better than watching telly. From 2009: John Whittingdale and fellow members of the Freedom Association's quiz team, at an event organised by The Tax Payers' Alliance.

The Freedom Association's proposals for BBC reform, from 2011: To introduce competition in public service broadcasting, there should be no government owned broadcaster, but instead a fund (paid for through general taxation) run by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport which publicises programmes it needs produced which are of a public service nature. Private broadcasters can then make competing offers to deliver them. The DCMS then deliberates between the offers, basing its choice on the quality of the proposal made, the broadcaster’s track record with past programmes, and the remuneration it demands. As well as improved quality and decreased cost from the introduction of competition, distancing the provision of public service broadcasting from government also reduces the danger of bias.