The BBC’s new director-general says the British public broadcaster could force its on-air talent to leave social media if they’re not sufficiently impartial. Tim Davie knows this seemingly minor issue is key to his organization’s survival.
For impartiality is what makes it possible for the BBC to be funded by a compulsory tax of 157.50 pounds ($204) on every TV-owning UK household. It’s more than a crude matter of balance or neutrality between opposing viewpoints — you can't be neutral on, say, democracy or racism — but it must give “a broad range of perspective over an appropriate timeframe,” and