Opendemocracy: Can We Trust The BBC?

The UK's most important cultural institution is in turmoil, its future uncertain. The most recent scandals, Savile and McAlpine, alone shake its foundations: the apparent burying of the story of an alleged serial pedophile and the false implication of a Tory ex-minister of the same crime. Heads have rolled and are rolling, not least the spanking new Director General, now gone.

The talk from within the Corporation is of "re-gaining the trust of the public". But it is not just the BBC's reputation for the highest journalistic standards that has been called into doubt in recent weeks. The meltdown of management has exposed the fundamental weakness of its governance model, unearthing the Big Question: what is the real relationship between the BBC and the public?

OurBeeb has been exploring this question for the last half-year. The BBC belongs to us, the British people. So how do we make it more accountable? It is clear that a BBC fit for the 21st century needs to be open, transparent, and engage with the creative digital age. What would such a BBC look like, do we want it at all, and how would we get it?

If the BBC wants to reclaim the trust of the public, it needs to learn to trust and listen to us first. In this spirit, openDemocracy invites you to an open discussion on the future of the BBC. It will be kicked off by the panellists named below, but the main participants will be you, the public.

Panellists - Dr Jacky Davis (Co-Chair of NHS Consultants Association, founder member of Keep Our NHS Public), Peter Oborne (chief political commentator of The Telegraph), Paul Gilroy (Professor of American and English literature, Kings College London), Tony Ageh (BBC Controller of Archive Development)

This is an openDemocracy / OurKingdom event.