Slaughtering a sacred cow

Tomorrow’s the day when a yellow teddy bear with an eye patch will be raising around £40m for children’s causes across the UK.  That the figure is so large is in no doubt a result of the huge coverage across BBC National and local TV and radio.

The BBC is very clear on its approach to charities.  This is to ensure no appearance of bias or endorsement.  So why then did the BBC appear to breach its own guidelines with Help for Heroes’ ‘A Concert for Heroes’ which it broadcast in September?

Below is the Corporation’s Editorial Guidance on the mounting and coverage of charity events:

Firstly I think Help for Heroes is a fantastic charity and the concert, which drew in some amazing names to help raise money for an amazing cause, was terrific.

So what’s wrong you might ask?  There are many worthy organisations which help improve the lives of servicemen and women both current and past. Help for Heroes is not the only one there’s Blesma, Ssafa and the Royal British Legion to name but three – actually there’s quite a comprehensive list on the Help for Heroes website.

The BBC has a number of ways it supports a great many charities through Children In Need, Comic & Sport Relief and the Blue Peter Appeal.  In addition they have weekly radio and monthly TV appeals which, as much as is possible, spreads their support and access to their audiences across organisations both large and small.

Many BBC artists support important charitable projects and the BBC has very strict rules. For example if an actor in a continuing drama supports an organisation the BBC is quite clear that they are doing it in a personal capacity and the name of that drama or the BBC should not be linked as this would imply endorsement. This seems fair enough.

So this leads me to question whether Help for Heroes has now become an official BBC charity or whether, because of the calibre of performers this fantastic charity had secured, the BBC decided to ignore the rules?  If I was really cynical, heaven forfend, I might think that:

1. The BBC has strict rules
2. Pull off a coup and get Robbie and Gary back together and you can forget A

If you watch the programme, it does feel like a telethon for the charity – although at no point is there a request for donations.  The logos and images of the charity appeared heavily throughout the show.  There were “this is the need” and “this is where the money goes” films.  But the Corporation went further.  Their own graphics (as opposed to those of the concert’s) also matched the charity’s colours and style.

If this had been on another channel I wouldn’t have queried it.  But given so many other organisations have to follow strict but fair rules set out by the BBC it feels on this particular occasion the BBC seemed to be clearly endorsing one charity over another.

I am not being critical of either the charity or its superb work. Nor am I critical of it making the most of an amazing opportunity. It was a great PR coup – one I could only ever aspire to emulate.  It just feels a little unfair on other charities that have to play by the rules.

Many charities organise fundraising concerts, just look at Mencap’s Little Noise Sessions or Teenage Cancer Trust’s Albert Hall concerts, but they’re not on the BBC. If charities have to obey the rules surely the BBC should too?