LIBERAL DEMOCRAT CULTURE SPOKESMAN DON FOSTER
The systemic failures... of today's announcements must never be allowed to happen again.
We rely upon our public broadcasters to present information which is impartial, accurate and without agenda.
Such lapses in judgment are wholly unacceptable and broadcasters now have a lot to do to regain the public's confidence and trust.
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Today is 'Black Wednesday' for public service broadcasting as the trust we've traditionally placed in broadcasters is called into question. It's as if the antics of Damien Day in Drop the Dead Donkey weren't a spoof after all.
CONSERVATIVE MP JOHN WHITTINGDALE, CHAIR OF THE COMMONS CULTURE COMMITTEE
Viewers have been given a completely misleading impression on some of the programmes which you would have expected to have maintained the highest standards.
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This represents a crisis for British broadcasting. Today, Ofcom have produced a report which details how every single major broadcaster is guilty of misleading viewers on their quiz programmes, and now the BBC have produced this report which shows that it isn't just one single lapse, but it has been regular lapses.
JOCELYN HAY, CHAIR OF THE VOICE OF THE LISTENER AND VIEWER
In an era of increasing competition from commercial rivals, we believe it is vitally important that the BBC retains the trust not only of British licence fee payers but also of its worldwide audiences, now at record levels.
The BBC Director General and the Chairman of the Trust must work together to ensure that these failings cannot occur again.
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VLV members have been deeply shocked and concerned to hear of the instances of deception and error in some BBC programmes, now coming to light.
DAVE TURTLE, SPOKESMAN FOR MEDIAWATCH UK
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It's a very bold step by the Director General, at long last the BBC are being seen to be putting their own house in order... It's very pleasing to hear there are 10 steps to move forward in this and some of these steps will try to regain some of the lost confidence from the listener and viewer.
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HEATHER RABBATTS, FORMER BBC GOVERNOR
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I was saddened the BBC should uncover such systemic abuse but also encouraged by the immediacy of the response... I think this is an issue not only for the BBC but broadcasters in general.
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STUART PURVIS, FORMER CHIEF EXECUTIVE, ITN
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The BBC has gone into crisis-mode... the management wants to be seen as having an action plan... Clearly the message (that it is wrong to deceive the audience) has not got through to some people.
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THE SUN
The paper ran with the headline 'Bear-faced Cheats' alongside a picture of Pudsey bear, the mascot for one of the programmes involved in the investigation, Children In Need.
Today, to quote one of its own journalists, it is seen as a bunch of 'crooks and liars'. Trust has evaporated. The only surprise is that it took this long.
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The Beeb used to be known as Auntie - an honoured and trusted member of the national family.
THE DAILY MAIL
Trouble with the phone lines? Never mind - just lie to the audience and take their money anyway (and never mind that fraud like this is a serious criminal offence).
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Why should we be expected to go on paying this tax on TV ownership, when Auntie displays all the moral rectitude of Delboy Trotter?
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH
It cannot be repeated too often that everyone in the country pays for the BBC through a poll tax that takes no account of financial circumstances of social hardship... In return... the country has a right to expect its national broadcaster to maintain rigorous levels of integrity.
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The BBC faces a grave crisis of public trust... In a sign of the panic pervading the corporation, it announced an unprecedented staff training programme that would focus on issues of 'honesty' with the audience.
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