Children in Need - the BBCs next scandal?

[rynnor]

A panorama investigation into the charity has been supressed by the Beeb - it may never now go out...

Or at least not until they suck some more cash out of the public - then they can have the max time to recover once the scandal is out.

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/515555/20131021/bbc-comic-relief-red-nose-day.htm

 

[Raven]

This isn't anything new. Most vague, unfocused charities such as comic relief look after themselves before the group they are purporting to support. Huge salaries, huge running costs. Nice little scam if you can get into it.

I only give to smaller charities now, the larger ones, excluding maybe the Red Cross are a scam.

 

[Chilly]

A panorama investigation into the charity has been supressed by the Beeb - it may never now go out...

Or at least not until they suck some more cash out of the public - then they can have the max time to recover once the scandal is out.

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/515555/20131021/bbc-comic-relief-red-nose-day.htm

Hard to know if it's just BS, though, really. Charities having endowment funds are completely standard. It's not always sensible (or even possible) to give all the money you raise away immediately. So, you invest in reasonable looking funds to preserve the value of your cash rather than earning f all on it in interest. OK, so they may have made some dodgy fund choices ethically, but which is the bigger violation: inveting in sub-par funds ethically or investing at the best possible rate potentially unethically? Given the proceeds of the investment are going toward helping Children, I'd prefer the latter, honestly.

Running costs doubling since 2008? In November of 2008 petrol was just under a quid. Assuming that represents inflation in general since then (it's not far off, 50% ish) that cuts the cost increase in half. Given the charity *tends* to raise more money every year, you'd expect its running costs to increase, too.

That Gordon Ramsay thing sounds like a clusterfuck, though, to be honest. That is not how charities should be operating, they are not businesses.

 

[Gumbo]

That's not much of a scandal when it comes to the bit about Children in Need. So they invested in a Tobacco firm and an arms firm? I would imagine it was probably through some trust and CiN execs didn't know that 2 of possibly hundreds of the companies the trust invested in were a bit dubious ethically. OK a bit wrong, but not really raping children is it? Also, did those investments make the charity more money? Probably, they tend to do well and pay great dividends... It's a very vague article. Comic Relief come out of it worse. I would imagine it was shelved for a lack of hard facts and a large dose of shoddy journalism.

 

[Gumbo]

And what chilly said whilst I was typing the above!

 

[DaGaffer]

Non-story tbh. The only bit worth noting is the investment in a fund that had a few ethically dubious stocks, which is likely more of an "accountants aren't PR trained" issue than anything else.

As for the other stuff; costs have doubled for putting on the event, but we have no context about why. If its being spent on champagne and blue M&Ms that's a story; if its inflation and increased scope, that's something else entirely. As for the Gordon Ramsay thing; sorry, sometimes promotional initiatives don't work. Shit happens.

 

[rynnor]

If it's such a non story why has the Beeb shelved it?

 

[DaGaffer]

If it's such a non story why has the Beeb shelved it?

Because its a non-story full of shoddy journalism? Maybe it was shelved because its crap? TV shows that don't cut the mustard (including current affairs programmes) are cut all the time, its not always a conspiracy.

 

[soze]

I would say it is shelved for this weekend because despite the facts not being there this would still show up as "Children in need sponsor the execution of child solders in Africa. Click share if you are going to boycott!" pictures and groups on Facebook. It would cost the charity a fortune. Bringing it on on the eve of the main night was a dick move and gives them no time to tell their side and clear things up.