So tell me, what’s more pathetic - That the BBC is allegedly trying to plug Lonely Planet on its television channels and by means of linky-love on its website inspite of regulations banning this kind of favoritism, or that British MPs have set up a committee and are holding an inquiry to look into it?

Here’s the thing - The BBC purchased 75% in the Lonely Planet travel guide business for £90m about a year back. BBC is encouraged to undertake commercial activity with the aim of generating revenue to be reinvested in public service broadcasting.

On the other hand, the BBC has license-funded activities which are supposed to be ‘neutral’ to all third party sites, including any assets owned by BBC Worldwide. There’s a fine line here, but the BBC Trust does have guidelines for the BBC to comply with its license-fee related regulations, including editorial discretion to publish links to external websites on a ‘non-discriminatory’ basis.

Which they seem to have ignored in this case, by giving repeated air time to the Lonely planet travel editor Tom Hall, and also by publishing articles and comments from Hall on their website,  accompanied by links to the Lonely Planet website.

To make matters worse, their House of Commons culture, media and sport select committee was already conducting an investigation into the commercial activities of BBC Worldwide, and allegations of internet monopolisation by BBC UK. John Whittingdale, MP for Maldon and East Chelmsford, who chairs this committee, has already stated his intention to look into why BBC purchased Lonely planet, and why the BBC.com website has to carry adverts.

After the Daily Telegraph, UK, which would love nothing more than to see more egg on the BBC’s face, followed up on the story and contacted the BBC, the BBC quickly added links to other travel guide publishers on the page in question, alongside the Lonely Planet link. Which basically proves the point that the BBC was showing some linky-love to its ‘lonely’ partner on the QT. Its no big secret that its the cover-up that usually blows the lid on any scandal, but the BBC does not seem to have cottoned on to this concept yet.

Posted on September 3rd, 2008 by PLing
Filed under: Travel News