Care and cultures of television news production: The case of BBC Newsnight

The case of BBC Newsnight Rowan Aust Care is claimed as central to the work of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) . The corporation’s declaration to prospective employees on the BBC website states, ‘Our values’ are as follows: Our aim is simple – to enrich people’s lives with programmes and services that inform, educate and entertain by being the most creative organisation in the world. But we don’t focus simply on what we do – we also care how we do it. (BBC 2019; emphasis added) The meaning is clear: to work at the BBC, one must care about how one works. The intent of this chapter is to demonstrate how the BBC, despite its stated aim, has failed to institute a structure of care within its news division. What I wish to consider are the possibilities and, arguably, the impossibilities of implementing an ethics of care within television production....