* – the ever astute Michael Gove had an interesting opinion piece in The Times last week. Here’s a chunk to whet your appetite:
The leftish bias in Radio 4’s content manifests itself subtly, yet insistently. Voices from the far Left such as Linda Smith and Jeremy Hardy are introduced on the News Quiz, or given their own shows, in a way which gives no clue to their political shading. The station treats them as though they were souls with no mission save laughter, like Humphrey Lyttleton or Nicholas Parsons, but the humour of Smith, Hardy and others such as Mark Steel is deployed for a particular polemical and political purpose.
There are other ways in which the BBC shows that it is the heartbeat of the Left. Commissioning decisions are made, any one of which is unexceptionable, but which cumulatively re-inforce a particular perspective. Commentators from the Left, such as Jonathan Freedland or Andrew Rawnsley, are given presenting roles which lend them the BBC’s mantle of objectivity. While few would wish to deny that they are talented broadcasters, no equivalent role is given to conservative voices. With the exception of The Week at Westminster, commentators from the Right generally appear as guests, their views clearly signposted as partial, their positions rarely dignified with the authoritative status which their equivalents on the Left enjoy through occupying the presenter’s chair. The impression is thus established that the left-wing take is the naturally objective view, the right-wing perspective a tolerated anomaly.
There is nothing deliberate about this process. It is simply the case that a world view predominates, which means that the default option, the reaction which will prevail unless challenged, is left-wing. One could sense it very powerfully in the coverage of the American election. British voices supportive of President Bush were very rarely heard, apparent reverses for his policies in Iraq were lavishly covered, and disappointment was audible when news of his victory was established.
Gove mentions that the BBC is “organising a conference early next year at which some voices critical of ideological bias will have the chance to put their case” and that “The corporation has also commissioned its own study into partiality in its coverage of the Middle East, by a senior executive, Malcolm Balen.”. He goes on to say:
But openness has so far not extended to publishing his work. It is a pity that an organisation that uses our money to hold others to account is only fitfully accountable itself. Let us hope that that changes. Radio 4 itself has a new Controller, Mark Damazer, a cool and cerebral figure, and someone certainly capable of appreciating how bias need not be crude to be damaging.
Do read it all*! You might also enjoy some of Michael Gove’s other work – links at the bottom of the page.
* registration sometimes required – see www.bugmenot.com if need be.
I enjoy Michael Gove’s contributions on The Moral Maze – the only impartial broadcast on Radio 4 – but now that he is selected as Conservative candidate for an eminently winnable seat, exactly what would he advise Michael Howard to do about the BBC’s bias?
The BBC’s Charter for example – is it legally binding? i.e. can someone or an organisation which is suffering constant bias take the BBC to court? If the Tories were able to do so, or were to express their intention to do so, the case for renewal of the BBC’s Charter could end up in tatters, as it should.