Following his party's recent victory, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson suggested cutting an important source of revenue for the BBC after accusing the news network of bias against conservatives, which is drawing comparisons to how President Donald Trump criticizes the media, The New York Times reports.
"Although there's been pressure from both sides of the political divide on the BBC, it feels as if the current administration is more likely to act and do something drastic than a prior government would have been able to," Richard Broughton, research director at the media and communications analytics firm Ampere Analysis, told the Times.
During the recent election, Johnson frequently floated the idea of decriminalizing the non-payment of the license fee that funds the BBC, which is a publicly funded broadcaster. He also dismissed the network as "the Brexit Bashing Corporation" over its coverage of Great Britain's exit from the European Union, a movement that Johnson helped lead.
Claire Enders, who founded the telecommunications and media research firm Enders Analysis, added that Johnson had a "Trumpian manner" in regards to the BBC and other broadcasters because of their coverage, and that this is unprecedented.
"This is a very new concept that Boris seems to have — that somehow he can dictate to them what the agenda is and that they have no standing as institutions either here or in the global space," she told the Times.
"Our aim throughout the election was to be on the side of the audience, who came to us in their millions," the BBC said when asked for comment.
"We'll continue to make our own editorial decisions and report without fear or favor," it added.
Johnson's office did not respond to the Times' request for comment.
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