BBC: Emergency petition!

This is the biggest threat to the BBC so far. John Whittingdale, the minister who’s deciding our BBC’s future, just announced he wants the government to choose the people who run the BBC.  It means our most trusted broadcaster could be left in the hands of a government that wants to see it fail.

Whittingdale sneaked out his devastating plan at the weekend, to a newspaper that’s behind a paywall. He knows that another scandal might put a stop to his plans to undermine the BBC for good. So he’ll be hoping that 38 Degrees members aren’t paying attention.

But we’ve acted fast. Already over 150,000 of us have signed an emergency petition demanding the BBC stays independent, 38 Degrees members will deliver it to him in person early next week. And exposing his plans in public will shine a light on his real agenda to dismantle our BBC.

Please can you add your name to the emergency petition now? Click here to sign.
The way decisions are made in the BBC is under review. But John Whittingdale’s using this as an opportunity to push his anti-BBC agenda and put his people in charge. They would have the power to decide news coverage and which BBC programmes are made. It could mean the end of the BBC as we know it.

Whittingdale’s feeling the pressure right now thanks to a series of damaging revelations on his plans for the BBC – including being caught lying about reading responses to the public consultation. If we turn up the heat now, Whittingdale will have no option but to back down.

If thousands of us sign this emergency petition, then deliver it to him in just a few days, we could make Whittingdale realise that he’s fighting a losing battle and leave our BBC alone. This week could become the turning point in our people-powered campaign to protect the BBC.

Can you sign the emergency petition now? It’ll take less than 2 minutes.