Source : Globe & Mail

Hanging over the entire world of broadcasting today, there is the shocking resignation of Greg Dyke, the director general of the BBC. It put the focus on issues of integrity and commerce. Dyke's dynamic leadership of the organization, which is truly global and has a staff of 24,000 people, produced an extraordinary record of success. The BBC retained its status as the world's most important broadcaster under his leadership, in news, entertainment and sport.

Dyke's resignation and the battle with the British government which precipitated his gesture only highlight the fraught circumstances of broadcasting in the world today. Dyke was the victim of a cultural war. What George W. Bush calls "a war against terrorism" is, in part, a war against the tradition of a journalism that questions. In the United States and to some extent in Canada there are continuous accusations of "bias" as soon as any print reporter or TV journalist offers a view that is not in line with that of the White House or its mouthpieces.

The BBC is a brand name. It's the brand name trusted for its news coverage and relied upon in much of the world. The British government and the Hutton report have succeeded in damaging the brand. That is a major victory in the war against a journalism that questions.

A major part of Dyke's record -- an element not much mentioned in coverage of the fallout from the Hutton Inquiry -- was the immense commercial success of the BBC in North America. In the United Kingdom, the BBC traditionally bases its integrity on its distance from commercial considerations. However, the BBC is now a major player in the ultra-commercial world of broadcasting here. BBC America is an influential cable outlet in the United States. The Golden Globes awarded to The Office only confirm that. But the BBC also sells videos, DVDs and other product by the truckload. Dyke came to the BBC after running several commercial outlets in Britain and his business savvy revitalized the BBC. It was an unlikely instance of integrity being maintained while commerce blossomed.

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