Thought for the Day explicitly excludes non-religious contributors.
The BBC should move away from biased religious programming. That should begin with a rethink of Thought for the Day.
The BBC has a long history of pro-religion bias in its output, which is typified by Thought for the Day.
Thought for the Day is a daily slot on BBC Radio 4's flagship news programme, Today. For nearly three minutes, religious leaders offer "reflections from a faith perspective on issues and people in the news". Nonreligious people and leaders of less popular religions, no matter how well-respected their views, are not allowed to contribute.
Despite being within such a prominent discussion slot, Thought for the Day is outside the programme's editorial control. This means there is no right to reply when the slot is used for political or religious proselytising.
- Fewer than one in five British people think BBC Radio 4's Thought for the Day should exclusively feature religious content.
- Religious radio programmes are the least popular and least well received according to the BBC's own research.
Public apathy towards Thought for the Day is even shared by Today's former presenter, John Humphrys, who described the slot as "inappropriate" and "deeply, deeply boring" in 2017. His colleague Justin Webb has also criticised it.
Reforming Thought for the Day to include speakers of any religion or belief would improve overall quality, make it relevant to Today's audience and remove the unjustifiable discrimination. Contributors should be picked without reference to their religious or non-religious identity.
There is a place for high quality, critical religion and belief programming on the BBC – but not one-sided promotion of religion.
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Latest updates
Public backs reform of Thought for the Day, poll finds
Posted: Tue, 31 Jul 2018 07:45
Fewer than one in five British people think BBC Radio 4's Thought for the Day should always feature religious content, a new poll has found.
A survey undertaken by Censuswide, commissioned by the National Secular Society, suggests the British public backs reforming the slot so it no longer features only religious voices.
The findings have prompted calls for reform from figures including the philosopher and NSS honorary associate AC Grayling.
When asked whether they agreed or disagreed that BBC Radio 4's Thought for the Day should always feature religious content, just 18% of people agreed.
The survey also suggested Thought for the Day is widely seen as an irrelevance. More than half of respondents (54%) neither agreed nor disagreed with the statement: 'BBC Radio 4 should still broadcast a daily Thought for the Day'. One in 10 disagreed with the statement.
NSS chief executive Stephen Evans has now written to the director of radio and education at the BBC, James Purnell, urging him to "seriously consider making changes to Thought for the Day".
He said the broadcast currently "excludes non-religious voices, reinforces prejudice and discrimination and is widely regarded as irrelevant by a majority of the British public". One remedy for this, he added, would be to make it "an ethical current affairs reflection slot".
Commenting on the polling, the NSS said the BBC should take their listeners' views on board, particularly when it comes to the religious elements of the show.
Mr Evans said: "Thought for the Day has historically been presented as a way for the British public to reflect on moral issues, but it is clear that the programme in its current form does not resonate with the public. This is particularly true when it comes to religion's role in the show.
"By explicitly excluding non-religious voices the slot is alienating vast swathes of the British public, reinforcing prejudice and blatantly discriminating against non-believers. The BBC should reform the broadcast into a secular current affairs reflection slot, with contributors selected on merit and without reference to their religious outlook. In this way, the BBC could re-engage its listeners on important ethical questions."
AC Grayling said: "In today's society, it is more important than ever that the British public engages with important ethical questions. Secularists are keen to support this, but it can only be done by exploring these issues through secular and inclusive discussion and debate."
Thought for the Day is a three-minute section of BBC Radio 4's Today programme which is exclusively reserved for religious voices. It has been broadcast since 1970.
The NSS has long campaigned for the slot to be reformed to avoid proselytisation, discrimination and excessive deference to religion. The society is urging supporters to sign a petition on the subject.
In 2015 the NSS backed calls to convert Thought for the Day into a "philosophy slot", open to non-believers and believers alike.
Last year Today's most senior presenter, John Humphrys, described the slot as "inappropriate" and "deeply, deeply boring". His colleague Justin Webb also criticised it, saying the content was "all roughly the same".
The BBC also said there were "no plans" to change the format of the slot after incoming editor Sarah Sands said it should be opened up to non-religious voices.
Censuswide polled a demographically representative sample of 2,003 British adults.
NSS challenges BBC Today’s “PR exercise for C of E”
Posted: Thu, 21 Dec 2017 12:38
The National Secular Society has written to the BBC over an episode of Radio 4's Today show which it said amounted to a "PR exercise for the Church of England".
The episode was broadcast on 14 December from Lambeth Palace, the C of E's headquarters. It featured several slots on the theme of Anglicanism, amounting to approximately one hour of airtime – a third of the programme's total length. This included a 15 minute interview with archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby.
In a letter to the BBC's complaints department, the NSS said the programme effectively served to promote the Church of England, and therefore did not meet the BBC's own editorial guidelines regarding impartiality.
"The bias and deference towards the Church of England demonstrated in this show suggests a 'cosy relationship' has developed between the BBC and the Church, which undermines public confidence in the BBC's commitment to impartiality," NSS chief executive Stephen Evans wrote.
The NSS added that the treatment of the Church and its leader was particularly inappropriate while the institution is subject to the ongoing official Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse.
An NSS analysis found that the content of the show "frequently portrayed the Church in a positive light, with no opposing, critical views given". Although Church representatives were given ample opportunities to promote their views and agenda, "absolutely no reference was made of the sex abuse scandals or other controversies surrounding the Church".
In addition, it highlighted specific breaches of the BBC's editorial guidelines. These included: praising the rise of Anglicanism in Africa; a lack of engagement with the irreligious public; giving a voice to those who oppose female bishops and marriage equality without these views being challenged; and interview questions to Justin Welby demonstrating a bias against the non-religious.
On the last point, the NSS highlighted a statement made by presenter Nick Robinson to the archbishop of Canterbury, in which he said: "It seems to me now more than ever people look to the church – they look to the leader of the Anglican Church – for hope." The declining church attendance figures in the UK suggest the opposite is true, while 75% of Britons say they have never been influenced by a religious leader.
Mr Evans asked the BBC to explain its decision to devote a third of the show to the Church of England and justify the flouting of its editorial guidelines. "The BBC should not allow itself to be an agent of the Church's self-promotion agenda," he wrote.
The criticisms come just a day after the BBC announced that it will increase the religious content in its programming, prompting scrutiny and criticism. The NSS continues to campaign for reform of the Today programme's Thought for the Day slot, arguing that it should be opened to non-religious views or abolished.
