But can't the free market channels and services work just as well? Nope. I've also worked for Rupert Murdoch and other private media entities. Free market is

But can't the free market channels and services work just as well? Nope. I've also worked for Rupert Murdoch and other private media entities. Free market is what got as the phone hacking scandal to give one example (there are countless). The US is sorely lacking in high quality reportage through to certain areas of high-brow television programming due to market forces which are concentrating budgets towards maximum ROI media. The comments on that article go to show there exist conflicting views on the BBC's usefulness, in which case, it is unethical to force the tax on practically everyone who lives there. Hmm, well lets just look at tax itself (ie the %age you pay on your earnings). There's certainly an array of views on the usefulness/appropriateness of taxing people yet we have to have it for the greater good. When someone says that they never watch any BBC output whatsoever (which is highly unlikely but still) they are still benefiting from the BBC's presence in the media landscape and the emphasis it has on it's competition. For example, none of the other UK broadcasters had any plans on offering online TV on demand until the BBC launched iPlayer.