Meanings
- The broadcasting policies or approach associated with John Birt (born 1944), Director-General of the BBC from 1992 to 2000, such as restructuring for efficiency and the use of an explanatory style of reportage.
Another, sometimes neglected, feature of Birtism was the push towards a more diverse range of voices in broadcasting.
2011, Hugh Chignell, Public Issue Radio, page 1762 more examples
But Birtism is only one example of the larger issue of the application of 'Thatcherism' to the management of the public sector in general and to education in particular.
1997, David Hellawell, Headteacher from Hell and Other Animals, page 61At this time Dyke with his gregarious nature and empathy with creative and other staff was regarded within the BBC as a refreshing change from the rather Stalinist atmosphere of Birtism.
2008, Ken Bloomfield, The BBC at the Watershed, page 148
Origin
Cite this entry
Birtism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Birtism
“Birtism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Birtism. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Birtism,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Birtism.
Source: Birtism on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.