BBC says it has a duty to play 'Ding Dong' song - but does it?

Broadcaster's argument for playing anti-Thatcher song contradicts its history of censorship

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THE BBC has argued it is obliged to play Ding Dong, the Witch is Dead because the pop charts are a "historical and factual" account of what the public is buying. That sounds like a decent enough reason to broadcast the Judy Garland song sent rocketing up the charts by anti-Thatcher protestors. Decent, that is, until you examine the corporation's track record for censoring and banning popular records.

The fact is the Beeb has a long and (in)glorious history of ignoring the public's taste and either pulling songs off the air or changing their lyrics. Its reasons have ranged from an excess of sentimentality to sexual content, bad language and – a tricky one, this – the mere fact that the song's title or lyrics might be construed as offensive in the context of current events and wars in particular.

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