Why the BBC Rocks

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With so many things happening in the news today and so many conflicting points of view, I find it difficult sometimes to trust anything I hear on TV. But this week I’d like to put a plug in for my number one source of news that gives me that often elusive combination of quality reporting and comprehensive world coverage…the BBC. And with networks in America and throughout the world you can now watch the BBC on even the most basic cable programming in almost any location.

I love to get my news from the BBC because they often carry stories that you won’t hear on any domestic news channel. On any given day you will hear top stories from North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa along with any other breaking reports from around the globe. Unlike local or domestic news stations, the BBC gives me a real worldview in their coverage, not simply telling me what happened in my own country or what the weather I can see outside the window is. In addition, I feel like I get a real balanced perspective, unlike some other networks (Fox News…ahem), from people living around the planet.

What really intrigues me about the BBC is that despite being a British based broadcasting group, they present the news from a truly global perspective. They don’t simply report what happened in Britain or how British citizens abroad might be affected by something, but instead they view the whole human race as a single people, regardless of nationality, creed, or political bent. Now of course, every reporter has his or her own biases, but what really helps the BBC stay honest is that fact that so many people from so many walks of life watch their programming and provide feedback. There are people in France who learn English by watching the BBC, and viewers in Australia that blog with watchers in Hawaii about the news they glean from the same program. The BBC has a long history as a voice of knowledge, debate, and reason dating back to when Churchill and De Gaulle used to broadcast messages of freedom and resistance to Nazi occupied Europe. So if you’re looking for more than just a puppet show about politics or gossip about Paris Hilton, checkout the British Broadcasting Corporation on the web or on your local public broadcasting channel!