25 signatures reached
To: Head of BBC News and Current Affairs. Head of Channel 4 News and Current Affairs
Ban opaquely funded 'Think Tanks' from the BBC
Please ban the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), and similar so called 'Think Tanks', from being given airtime on public service broadcasters, unless they are prepared to clearly declare all of their funding for public scrutiny.
Why is this important?
If Brexit has shown one thing, it is that we need truth and honesty in British political life and national media reporting.
Allowing opaquely funded 'Think Tanks' similar time on air,and equivalence,to well respected politically independent analysts,is a travesty of honest public service broadcasting.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/jul/30/labour-calls-for-inquiry-into-iea-thinktank-over-cash-for-access-claims
The IEA is an opaquely funded free-market lobbyist organisation with a title that suggests otherwise. It sounds like an open and honest organisation, like the well respected and politically independent Institute for Fiscal Studies; but the IEA is one of the most opaquely funded organisations in Europe,and essentially campaigns for extreme forms of laissez faire economics with complete opposition to state intervention.
The IEA has been caught taking US cash for access to British government ministers https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-politics-45006969/iea-think-tank-responds-to-cash-for-access-claim
The IEA also has links to climate change denial organisations :
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/sep/02/nigel-lawson-climate-sceptic-organisation-funders
This excellent article from July 2018 by George Monbiot really does summarise why this petition is necessary in the fight for truth and honesty in both politics and the media:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jul/18/dark-money-democracy-political-crisis-institute-economic-affairs
