, I hadn’t realised, until reading the comments, that Newsnight had run the ‘cripple’ email non-story on Friday night, and worse, as their lead item, over and above the Ruth Turner Cash for Peerages arrest story.
I honestly expected that BBC Views Online’s placement of the ‘cripple’ email non-story as the fourth most important story in the world was the action of some leftie cub-journo left to their own devices on the night-shift in Shepherd’s Bush.
But Newsnight? Leading with it? A supposedly serious flagship BBC programme with its own editor, what on earth were they thinking?
Let’s get this straight, Ruth Turner, Tony Blair’s ‘gatekeeper’, is arrested, arrested, in connection with alleged breaches of the 1925 Honours Act and on suspicion of perverting the course of justice (a crime that carries a possible life sentence), so Newsnight spends eight full minutes leading with a different non-story about a private citizen (not even a mere councillor) who sent a private email to a councillor four months ago in which he insulted a leftie activist with a limp by referring to him as, shock, a cripple. Big deal – what an exclusive!
Newsnight pt. 1: eight minutes of NuLab spin eked out of a non-story
The real question about the ‘cripple’ email, completely ignored by the BBC of course, is just how the hell did a private email between just two people get leaked? My bet would be on leftie employees within the local authority illegally reading (and leaking) councillors email – now that would be a story worth investigating.
After covering this non-story, Newsnight then spent a mere three minutes, mostly on a pretty lame two-way between Emily Maitlis and Michael Crick, on this huge development in the Cash for Peerages story, before moving on to a story about the Chinese shooting down a satellite.
Newsnight pt. 2: three minutes of lame two-way on a huge story
Newsnight were spun, and spun quite willingly it seems, by Tony’s NuLab spinners. Pathetic.
Even when the BBC have deigned to cover this story, much has been made of the police being heavy-handed and dramatic in arresting this ‘poor 36 year old woman, who lives alone, don’t you know, at her home at 6.30am’. Another big deal. I doubt the police kicked her door in, slapped on the cuffs and threw her in the back of a Black Maria, or does the BBC know different?
Even our own much-valued pet BBC defender, ‘John Reith’, writing from inside the Corporation, comments:
I think it’s wrong to publish private e-mails in the absence of any compelling public interest requirement. In this case the writer of the e-mail was simply a private citizen. It might be different if he were the shadow spokesman on disability. But he isn’t.
Frankly, I thought the addressee’s reaction was a bit PC-priggish too – but media-savvy as it turned out.
As for the complainant – the so-called ‘cripple’. I’d be more sympathetic if there was anything seriously wrong with him – e.g. if he were a wheelchair user or equivalent. It seems he just walks with a bit of a limp. As we all do from time to time.
I notice he doesn’t mind being called a reptile. Safest to stick to that then.
As you say – a non-story. And one stored up since last September by NuLab spinmeisters for a Cameron visit.
Journalists should be careful not to be so easily manipulated. A number seem to be off their guard since the era of spin was declared over. Time to wise up again – ‘cos it’s back.
Thank you for your honesty John (oh, and now that you’re back, would you mind giving us your views on my posts about Molly/Misbah and the stealth-editing of the manufactured golly row story please? Thank you).
Writing from the cellars beneath the Palace of Westminster, Guido Fawkes Esq. graces us with his presence to say:
Peter Barron – Newsnight editor – has yet to respond to my query re. the Newsnight story order and emphasis on Friday. I know the Beebie babies read this blog, just like Downing Street reads my blog, so I reproduce it below.
Peter,
Could you give me an on the record quote concerning the relative priority given to these stories on Friday.
The lead story focused on an embarrassing email sent between two non-entity local Tory councillors. In other news, after nine minutes on this story, the next story was that PM’s aide was arrested on suspicion of perverting the course of justice in the loans for lordships investigation. This story was given three minutes.
Why were the stories prioritised in that order?
Do you think the un-pc email story was more important?
Guido Fawkes Esq.
Well Peter, you can reply to Guido at guido.fawkes@order-order.com, and if you don’t mind cc’ing it to me at biasedbbc@gmail.com I’ll be happy to share your explanation about why the ‘cripple’ non-story was so important with our readers (both inside and outside the BBC) too! Thanks.
P.S. It’s not just Newsnight – apparently the BBC’s Ten O’Clock news led (again) on the story of the weather from the day before. Perhaps the editor of the Ten would care to get in touch with a comment too.
If it was a Conservative Prime Minister they wouldn’t be talking about them choosing their time of leaving office- they would be hounding him out right now.
You’ve got a great story here guys and gals – keep plugging away at it!
Top stuff Andrew!
Let’s see how the Beeboid’s defend this one!
Can I just say “Hat tip: Chuffer, 19-01-07, 10.53 pm.”?
(Well, no-one else is going to do it.)
Maitlis, who presented this edition of Newsnight once famously described the independent Migration Watch as ‘right wing’.
PS – Well done Chuffer
From John Reith’s comment:
Journalists should be careful not to be so easily manipulated. A number seem to be off their guard since the era of spin was declared over. Time to wise up again – ‘cos it’s back.
Someone on another thread – I believe it was TPO – took issue with the statement. Much as I appreciate extremely rare criticism of the BBC flowing from the keyboard of John Reith, I’d like to know who declared the era of spin “over” and why Reith appears to think that spin emanates only from politicians and not from the BBC.
On looking a little more closely at Reith’s statement, an interesting sleight of hand becomes apparent. Were BBC journalists really “manipulated” in this instance or did they simply consciously accept the direction in which they were pointed and grab the pro-Labour baton and run with it?
Anyone who knows the BBC knows the answer to that question. The real manipulation here is that of the public via BBC spin.
Andrew,
You’ve missed a major issue, that they thought they could get away with it.
To run as the headline story on the ‘flagship’ news show a non story is amazing, to run it when someting so major as Ruth Turner’s arrest had happened implies that Newsnight’s producers have no fear of comeback.
Google is your friend.
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&q=cripple
returns 9 news items
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&ie=UTF-8&q=ruth+turner
returns 390 news articles.
The BBC – bashing the Tories, because they can.
Sorry Chuffer, not this time – I do my best to acknowledge tips, but on this occasion I didn’t see your comment until you pointed it out just now – I honestly don’t have time to read them all, though I do my best.
We do appreciate everyone’s comments – both for information and encouragement that what we do here is worthwhile and of interest. You will hopefully be pleased with another story I wrote last night (not yet public) in which you are both hat-tipped and quoted.
All the best,
Thanks, Andrew; I’m not really worried about it – it’s just that it’s a feather in one’s cap to get a credit on BBBC. Mind you – it’s a good sign for you and your brilliant site that you have so much stuff pouring in every day! Keep up the superb work.
If this bias was not so serious it would be laughable. The trouble is that Newsnight is broadcasting to the coverted whilst the majority can see right through it.
A commentator on Guido’s site has dug out the BBC mission statement for Newsnight and highlighted one line:
“For me it’s always been a programme in the best traditions of the late 1970s alternative movement.”
( http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/newsnight25/4198849.stm )
Say’s it all really.
anonymong
Newsnight has never looked back since it suggested, hours after a Korean airliner had been shot down by the Soviet Union in September 1983, that the aircraft was linked to a US Shuttle spy mission.
Totally discredited trash as subsequent revelations showed.
If memory serves me right the apologist for the USSR was someone called Donald McCormack.
Also the first time I complained to the bbc.
>>The BBC – bashing the Tories, because they can
The BBC have passed your complaint onto a department which specialises in sitting on it for three months, producing an anodyne and completely mendacious response and then ticking a box named “dealt with”.
For this you pay £3.2bn.
Rob | 22.01.07 – 11:13 pm |
i rather suspect the most gratifying you could hope for is “complaint upheld. action taken: none”.