Opinion Matrix: Reality TV and licence fee fears

In Tim Stanley's column he says reality TV recklessly blurs public and private.

He said: "Caroline Flack, the former host of Love Island, has taken her own life at the age of 40. I'm sensitive about the age because it is not far off my own, and there seems so much to live for, especially when you are as beautiful and loved as Caroline was. Her boyfriend has said: "My heart is broken.""

He added the problem with reality television is that it has blurred to the point of erasure the necessary line between public and private.

He goes on to say: "In most careers, you do the job, you go home, the job stops. In reality television, the job is being you. You go home and you are still you, so the job goes on and on. There is nowhere to hide. You are trapped in a cycle of publicity. You do well, you become famous. You make a mistake, people talk about it. You get depressed and stop going out, people talk about that too. Television and social media have taken the place of God as the all-seeing eye, except that God balances judgment with mercy, whereas humans tend just to judge."

The Scotsman

Its editorial says that Caroline Flack's death should give many cause for reflection and spark some real change.

The paper said: "Actions have consequences. The old adage about sticks and stones is simply not fit for purpose in today's 24/7 social media-driven world.

"Words to hurt. And every retweet compounds the pain.

"While it is impossible to know what ultimately led to TV presenter Caroline Flack's tragic death over the weekend, it will rightly provoke much soul-searching among sections of the media, both traditional and armchair.

"And they have much to think about. Is the very fact that someone is considered a "celebrity" an invitation to dissect their personal life and appearance, to assassinate their character, to aim and encourage abuse?

"No, it is not."

The Times

Magnus Linklater said in his column that scrapping the licence fee would hurt our regions.

He said: "BBC Scotland's new TV channel is about to celebrate its first birthday. Two years in the making, but the product of a long period of lobbying, it came with £32million in funding and a call to arms from the corporation's director-general, Lord Hall of Birkenhead."

He added it has produced some strong documentary series, saying: "Its review of the independence referendum and its coverage of post-devolution Scotland were first-class."

H e goes on to say: "If it is true that Boris Johnson is determined to abolish the licence fee regional programmes may be doomed, and with them will go the £32milion on which the channel depends, along with local radio stations.

"What future will there be for Highlands and Islands, North East, South of Scotland or Tayside and Central, which are vital sources of information in their areas?"

He added: "The government is clearly determined to review the licence fee, if not abolish it. Before any drastic steps are taken it may be worth considering how far those parts of the UK that lie well beyond the bounds of the M25 would suffer from the withdrawal of a system originally designed to serve them all."

The Daily Express

In his column LeoMcKinstry says it is high time to check "the bloated Beeb’s privilege."

He said: "There are now no fewer than seven bureaucrats with Human Resources Director in their job titles – all paid at least £165,000. Given the scale of this behemoth, it is no wonder that the comedian Jennifer Saunders once said that the BBC “has become top heavy in such an ugly way”.

"Far from showing restraint over its privileged position as the sole state broadcaster, the BBC has consistently abused its power.

"Its news overreach online has crushed independent voices of the local press, while it aggressively peddles a politically correct agenda, as shown by its obsessions with diversity, Tory cuts and climate change. If this proud ship is to avoid hitting the rocks, it must change its ways."