On Saturday Anonanon commented:
On this morning’s Breakfast “writer and broadcaster” Simon Fanshawe used his post-7am newspaper review to make overtly pro-Labour, anti-SNP and anti-Tory comments. When Iain Dale does the papers for the BBC his Tory party affiliation is mentioned without fail, but Fanshawe’s Labour activism is ignored. In fact, when it comes to declaring his interests Fanshawe seems to have been granted immunity by his long-time employer [the BBC]. Recently he presented an episode of the BBC’s Building Britain in which he praised a controversial new skyscraper development in Brighton; the fact that his PR firm represents the developers was not brought to the attention of viewers.
…which reminded me of this report in Private Eye, 06JUL2007:
Simon Fanshawe, who presented the opening programme of BBC1’s new Building Britainseries two weeks ago, was lavish in his praise for three new skyscrapers that will be erected in Brighton.
One of them was the controversial 40-storey tower that will be the centrepiece of the new marina development. His gushing praise was only matched by his derision for fuddy-duddy conservationists who wnat to preserve the views from all those outdated Regency terraces.
The programme was a public relations coup for Brunswick Developments, the company behind the new marina development. And Brunswick’s PR firm, Midnight Communications will be equally pleased. As indeed will the man who chairs Midnight Communications… Simon Fanshawe!
Why neither he nor the BBC saw fit to mention this vested interest is something the corporation’s trustees might wish to pursue.
If this allegation is true then both Fanshawe and the BBC owe the residents of Brighton and every other tellytaxpayer an explanation for such a monstrous abuse of our supposedly ‘impartial’ tellytaxpayer funded state broadcaster.
And yet it seems from Anonanon’s comment that self-publicist Fanshawe remains welcome across the BBC’s threshold as a paid talking-head. How can this be? Have these people never heard of ethics or morality, let alone impartiality and honesty?
Oh yes, they’ve heard of them alright. Ethics means buying orgainic at Sainsbury’s. Morality is only being nasty to white English christians. Impartiality is making sure you get plenty of pro-EU Tories to comment. And honesty is pointing out how awful all the other Tories are.
The BBC and conflicts of interest.
A few weeks ago, Radio 5 Live had an extensive discussion on who should replace Michael Vaughan as captain of the England one day cricket team.
Guest and former England cricketer Alec Stewart made a long and considered agrument in favour of Paul Collingwood, without feeling the need to tell us that he is, in fact, Collingwood’s agent.
We should do our own version of Balderdash and Piffle.
‘Writer and broadcaster’, phrase used by the BBC to hide the political affilation of a guest.
The BBC investigated itself for product placement 18 months ago.
It cleared itself – despite “concern”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2005/10_october/24/product.shtml
” The investigation found that in every case where products had been sourced for free, this was done in accordance with the BBC’s guidelines.
However, the investigation found that in some of the programmes reviewed there were instances of product prominence which were not fully editorially justified.”