MANY years ago I entered a Blue Peter competition in the hope of receiving a coveted badge. I didn't win but that was no surprise. The kids who collected a prize in the studio always seemed a bit too smart and well spoken to come from my part of the world.
Either they were luckier than the rest of us or the competition was fixed. But they wouldn't do that, would they?
Nowadays, we're not so sure. Trust in broadcasters is probably at an all-time low following repeated scandals about deception and co
mpetition rigging. It's fair to say only lawyers and politicians must now come lower on the public scale of respect and confidence. No wonder.
The rot started years ago when researchers were found to have fabricated guests for TV discussion shows. But the pressure to maximise income in these days of mass multi-channel broadcasting was always likely to make financial trickery too attractive for some people to ignore. And so it proved.
Earlier this week the premium rate phoneline regulator hit the firm which arranged a GMTV phone-in with a record £250,000 fine for letting 18 million viewers enter competitions they had no chance of winning. That was followed up yesterday by a whopping £2 million punishment dished out to GMTV. On top of that, the breakfast broadcaster has suspended all phone-in competitions so income has plummeted.
But worst of all, the binding contract with the viewer has been broken. I spent eight years working for GMTV and the station prided itself on a much closer relationship with the audience than the stuffy and self-righteous BBC.
Due to the actions of a few unscrupulous individuals working for the outside contractor who handled the phone-in service, that has been fatally damaged. I know the GMTV executives who quit their jobs over this and I'm sure they were as horrified as everyone else to discover viewers had been cheated. But they were right to quit to set an example and, even though the horse has bolted, the regulators are justified in slamming the stable door to make sure this can never happen again.
The big concern is the scale of the problem. Even though they have strict rules and regulations governing everything from carpet procurement to working in confined spaces, the BBC has ended up in the thick of it.
Several Corporation staff have already resigned or been disciplined in relation to distortion or fakery, but one more high-profile casualty is required.
Former BBC 1 Controller Alan Yentob admits he faked a "noddy" for the arts show Imagine. In other words, he was filmed nodding sagely in reaction to what was said when the actual interview had been conducted by someone else. Clearly he has earned his title as the BBC's creative director but he should have known better because such an outrageous deception displays utter contempt for the viewing public.
The BBC plans to send employees on courses aimed at explaining the pitfalls of cheating the audience and reinforcing the need for honesty at all times. But before that they need to set an example at the top by disciplining Yentob, who is one of their highest ranking executives. Only then can they say the BBC has a culture which will not tolerate setting out to deceive.
Trust lies at the heart of the relationship between broadcasters and the audience and it has to be cherished and nurtured.
Developments in technology make that all the more important. If Michael Palin tells us he's in the freezing highlands of northern Turkey, we have to trust he's not in a studio being filmed with the heating turned off. If Bruce Parry introduces us to another remote tribe in Ecuador, we have to trust he's not in Epping Forest with some blokes in fancy dress from the South American restaurant in Guildford High Street.
Unless a firm stand is taken with those who cheat or cut corners with the truth, where does it all end? If an arts programme can twist reality for its own purposes then why not a sports programme or even a news programme? Altering events can so easily become changing facts and then responsible broadcasters end up no better than the worst trash tabloids.
Zero tolerance is the only way ahead to restore public trust and confidence. The line between right and wrong is clear. Anyone who crosses it will have to pay the price.
Caravan fans have jihad it now
IN Iran, ownership of a dog is now being seen as decadent and too Western for traditional tastes.
The religious police have even taken to seizing four-legged friends from people in the street. As a result, owners have taken to walking their dogs after dark.
As part of a drive to destroy barriers and improve mutual understanding, perhaps we could learn from their example.
So let's condemn caravanning as being immoral and hope that those who pursue the filthy habit will only do so on side roads in the dead of night - or face losing the object of their twisted desire.
Enough to give taxpayers the hump
GOOD to see Edinburgh City Council keeping road contractors as busy as ever. This week they are out in force digging up the speed bumps on Warriston Road, which were only put in place last year. They are replacing them with - yes, you guessed it - slightly smaller speed bumps. Isn't it reassuring to know our council tax is being so well spent?
