You have to almost admire the BBC feeds upon itself so it can sustain stories it feels need pursuance. Last night, on the truly execrable Question Time (only made bearable by our most excellent and good humoured liveblog!) pious beyond words Lib-Dem Simon Hughes was invited to give his opinion on the future of Jeremy Hunt. Hunt is squarely in the BBC cross-hairs at the moment and so the fact that Hughes told them what they wanted to hear – namely that there should be an independent inquiry into Labour claims that Hunt broke the ministerial code, was grist for the Today mill this morning.
At every opportunity, the BBC is rowing in behind Labour on this issue. One can understand why. It allows the BBC to seek the scalp of Hunt, damage Cameron and attach Murdoch. It’s a triple whammy and they just can’t resist it. It’s not that I have any time for Hunt or even Murdoch for that matter, but when one listens to the contrived chatter disguised as news, the realisation is that it is the BBC which is the single biggest threat to our liberty and freedom. The more they hound Murdoch the more they show their own lack of self-awareness concerning the massive monopoly they defend. The Press would KILL to have the audience reach of the BBC. The BBC, by contrast prefers to KILL those parts of the Press it does not like.
The same BBC which loves to trot out cliches about Tory politicians not being “in touch” with the “people” is obsessed with this issue, which is a classic story of little real concern to anyone outside elite left-leaning political, social and media circles. Has anyone here had a work colleague/friend/family member mention this story as being of any relevance or interest to them whatsoever? Yet the BBC gives 20-25 minutes of the World at One/newsnight etc over to it at the drop of a hat.
There’s a certain irony in the way that the BBC is using the ‘Levson Inquiry into the political power of the Murdochs’*, to flex their own political power to wreck (or as Polly Toynbee hopes, bring down) the Government.
* I know it was intended to be an Inquiry into the whole media (except for the BBC) but it didn’t quite turn out like that.
…and, before the BBC (Nicky Campbell, Newsnight et al) host any more debates on this, I think it is approapriate that they declare their interest, in that Brillo let slip on Wednesday that the BBC were one of a coalition of media organisations opposing NI’s take over of Sky.
It emerged yesterday that they, together with The Guardian, Independent and others, wrote a letter to Cable, LOBBYING against the take over.
Perhaps we need to have this side of the story told. Who else was lobying against and what form was that taking?
It is that lack of objectivity which makes me angry. On Tuesday on The World at One Robert Peston three times said that the enquiry that morning had been “gripping”. Maybe if you’re the son of a Labour peer working for a publicly-funded broadcaster with an axe to grind against a commercial competitor it is grippng, but I’d be interested to know how the BBC news fared in viewing figures that night compared to Barcelona v Chelsea.
I suspect the Spanish viewers tuning into the BBC after 91 minutes of the match could have helped the figures reach 2-3.
Or if you like, more than QT on a good day, but less than John Terry on a bad one swearing at Gabby Logan.
We all switched off some time ago, the BBC is talking to itself.
Great article! Keep up the good work!
A bit Off Topic but did anyone catch the piece on BBC news about the shooting of Mark Duggan?
They had new film taken from a high rise window overlooking the scene which was taken by a resident showing the aftermath of the shooting. Police cars and plain clothes police were congregating around the body. The BBC narrative was that only they, the BBC, had a copy of this film, that no police officer one has been charged so far, the investigation is on-going and that a gun found at the scene, which was in a sock, did not have Duggan’s prints on it.
Bear in mind, as if we could forget, that this was the start of the protests which then led onto the riots and burning down of a whole street, a man being killed and livelihoods and homes destroyed. Of course there would not have been riots had the police shown as much determination to get control of the protesters as they had to shoot Duggan but that is another matter.
The whole BBC piece was slanted towards the implied innocence of a young man gunned down for nothing, which may or may not have some truth in it, BUT WHAT UNBELIEVABLE IRRESPONSIBILITY. To show this film in the first place was bad enough but then to show it with such a slant to it was to me inviting death and destruction all over again. It would not take much for another protest and then the riots start over and, I know it is raining now, but summer is close by and that is the season for riots.
The BBC is simply unbelievable in its ability to cause trouble with impunity.
Will no one rid us of this turbulent corporation?
they had an interview just now (news24) fawning over the guy who was selling missile parts to Iran. (Tappin) isn’t a bit early as the case hasn’t even been heard in court yet? I nearly got my violin out when it got to the part where he was questioning his sanity after 10 days in the jug. Could be a case of latent asbergers maybe.
Apparently this Duggan wanted to be like a gangster . He got his wish then , if he was shot like one .
Wayne, they would be ejaculating if riots happened again.
Poly Toynbee was given plenty of air time last night on QT to how ‘we were only days away from Murdoch taking over the media in the UK’! What alarmist nonsense given that the BBC provides more than half of the news output. But then of course their output is allways reasonable and unbiased.
What we need in this country is news output that declares it editorial stance. Not the quasi balanced output we get now.
That will be Simon Hughes he tried to slip the same invoice past the expenses lot, double claiming on two laptops.
Just seen Chuka Umunna interviewed on the BBC News Channel, he gave several minutes of uninterrupted spiel about the need for bank shareholders to grab the cash rather than the bankers (a good thing). The Beeboid interviewer, instead of asking why the pre 2008 Labour government didn’t show concern at the bonus culture, said something like – Well we have a few minutes spare so how about giving Hunt a good verbal kicking?
Was Chukka Umunna a monster in the original Star Trek series ??
My bullshitters bingo card has been suitably ticked ,what with the spotting of the lesser crested Prescott(Lord John of Tracey Temple)…as well as Anne Diamond…all with the expected impartial view of NewsCorps and Rupert, as previously shown. Imagine there`s forever a Green Room for Murdochs kindertransport survivors-fat cheques, and as much public therapy as it takes-we`re paying after all!
I can confidently predict that Hugh Grant and Steve Coogan will be on soon enough..then I claim my prize.
A delight to hear of the power of the Press to influence debate, and their undue influence(Today…8am)…and yet, neither Prescott, Howard or Humphrys seemed focussed on the dead tree press…with absolutely NO mention of the BBCs power to influence debate, and its undue influence.
The BBC …ever the catalyst and never the enzyme…the pure cipher of a sewer pipe that imagines itself not to be polluting the rest of us down the pipe. Impartial,Olympian and oh-so Zen in its detachment and objectivity.
NOW can we see the Balen Report?
ChrisH, you don’t get it. The bBC is impartial. We know it is, because it says so, so it must be true, like everything else it says. It’s a national treasure. David Cameron says so, and he’s never wrong about any thing either. Except the EU. Or Climate Change. Or energy from “renewables.” Or Cuts that aren’t. Or foreign aid to rich countries with space programmes. Or continued third world mass immigration. Or Hate Preacher’s new houses. Or just about anything you can think of, he’s never wrong.
You are just ungrateful for the wonderful government and national Boadencaster oh damn it the drugs are beginning to wear off, and I was feeling so much better…
Richard Littlejohn on:
Leveson, Murdoch, Beaverbrook, Lloyd George, Churchill-
“Did Lloyd George know my father? I don’t remember.”
By Richard Littlejohn
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2135802/Beaverbrook-Leveson-Inquiry-Did-Lloyd-George-know-father-I-dont-remember.html#ixzz1tHYNx0Yo
Heard a bit (by accident) on BBC R4 around 7.30 pm about Minister Hunt ,and an arts luvvie was saying how they never get their views across on the media ???!!!???
This country must waste more money on “culture” than anywhere else.
Surprise, surpise: ex-Labour councillor and ex-BBC Trust Chairman, Sir Michael Lyons, joins in the anti-Hunt brigade.