BBC Northern Ireland has been running a story today concerning the news that “Former Sinn Fein councillor Mairtin O’Muilleoir is to re-enter politics as a party representative on Belfast City Council” There are a few problems with this. First of all, WHY does the BBC assume that O’Muilleoir will win a seat in a ward that does not currently have a Sinn Fein representative?!! Did they just take a Sinn Fein press release and run it as news without using that vast resource they have at our expense to ascertain the accuracy of what was being claimed? Further, O’Muilleoir is on record stating that he wanted to leave politics in order “to concentrate on being Managing Director” of the Belfast Media Group. The BBC avoids all reference to this and the contradiction it contains. Bias by omission is as egregious a broadcasting sin as any other form of bias and given the fact that the BBC in Northern Ireland dominates local media, shouldn’t someone somewhere be asking why such lazy journalism is permitted here? Hat-tip to Pete Baker @ Slugger O’Toole
A CURIOUS BIAS
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Quote: Did they just take a Sinn Fein press release and run it as news without using that vast resource they have at our expense ..
That resource is for staff salaries, expense accounts, travel money, and other essential expenditure, without which there would be no BBC output.
It does look like the first half – including the headline and photo caption – of the BBC news brief does say that O’Muilleoir was going to represent the area and would be a councillor, as if it was a done deal, while the second half admits that he’s merely going to try for the position.
Very, very sloppy. Is it a sure thing or not?
I’m sure it can have nothing to do with any BBC insider knowledge on stuffed ballots.