BBC And Voluntary Euthanasia

EDM number 589 in 2003-04, proposed by Brian Iddon on 09/02/2004.

That this House notes with concern the biased and undisciplined trends in BBC coverage on a variety of issues of public policy, thus contravening the BBC charter; further notes that this has been particularly apparent on ethical issues such as euthanasia; further notes that a number of honourable Members were involved in correspondence with Mr Greg Dyke, the former Director General, on the matter of persistent bias on the question of euthanasia and, in particular, received no satisfaction on the failure of the BBC to interview the disabled or terminally ill unless they declared support for legalised euthanasia; regrets that this has been particularly apparent in the case of patients suffering from motor neurone disease; notes that a number of programmes were so biased that they were sent out by the Voluntary Euthanasia Society to Peers when they were seeking support for a bill to legalise euthanasia; regrets that no BBC programme was so even-handed that it could be used to present both sides of the case to Peers; and calls on the Solicitor General to encourage the BBC governors to ensure that Mr Greg Dyke's successor has a greater understanding of the BBC Charter which he will be required to implement.

This motion has been signed by a total of 47 MPs.