Is the BBC biased’s Sue has spotted that the BBC has apologised to Peter Hitchens for misrepresenting his views on UKIP.
On Sunday Hitchens was in the Mail with this:
Here is the best reason for voting UKIP
I don’t like UKIP or its leader, Nigel Farage. They are the Dad’s Army of British politics, doddery, farcical and very unclear about what they are actually for.
But they have Captain Mainwaring’s virtues too. They are absolutely certain about what they are against, in this case an aloof political establishment that despises the concerns of normal human beings.
They are also indomitable when under attack. And they need to be. I have taken a close interest in British politics since I was a schoolboy, and I have never seen a more disgraceful alliance between politicians and their media toadies than the one that has been secretly made to do down UKIP.
On one day last week, almost every unpopular newspaper carried a cartoon portraying Nigel Farage as ugly, stupid or embattled, or all three.
Last Wednesday, the insider magazine Private Eye also claimed that the Leftist daily The Guardian had made a secret deal with the Tory Party, which claims to be conservative.
The Tories, it was alleged, had promised the favourite newspaper of the liberal elite a steady supply of damaging stories about UKIP candidates saying daft things (Tories, of course, never say daft things). In return, the newspaper had promised to avoid identifying the source.
Such stories are immediately picked up by BBC radio and TV news channels, which view The Guardian as sacred text. Asked about the allegation, The Guardian drew itself up to its full height and snapped: ‘The Guardian does not disclose its sources.’ (A certain Sarah Tisdall, who went to prison 30 years ago after The Guardian handed over documents that disclosed her as its source, might disagree.)
Well, there you have it. The Tory Party and The Guardian (and the BBC) are all united against UKIP. That would seem the best possible reason to vote UKIP. It also tells you who and what the Conservative Party really is.
The BBC in its news brief on Sunday (5mins 15 secs) was highly slective in its quotes…..it quotes the Mirror on UKIP saying it has uncovered ‘Racist, anti-Semitic and anti-gay rants’
They then select this quote from Hitchen’s piece: [Ukip are] ‘doddery, farcical and very unclear about what they are actually for.’
And then quote the Sunday People calling UKIP ‘a bunch of racist loonies’
It the goes on to reveal that the Observer (The Guardian) wants you to know how the wonderful EU has brought us equal pay, improved human rights and parental rights at work.
Nice final touch…a bit of pro-EU propaganda.
Hitchens then complained about his views being misrepresented:
Is This Impartiality? The BBC, UKIP and Me
I invite readers to follow the link (below) to today’s news Briefing’. At about 5.40 a.m., it quotes from my column item about UKIP, which (as you can see from the blog posting immediately before this) concerned the ganging up of the Tories and the left-wing media to attack UKIP in an unprecedented fashion, and whose headline pretty much urges people to vote UKIP.
Now, please listen to the extract from my article which was broadcast, and ask yourselves if this is in any way an accurate reflection of what I wrote or (in the context of the other extracts from other newspapers broadcast alongside it) a proper exercise of the BBC’s absolute duty of impartiality (specifically required by the Royal Charter which establishes the BBC and allows it to levy the licence fee) in matters of current controversy, and especially in party political matters, and even more especially party political matters during the weeks immediately before an election.
The BBC has now apologised:
The BBC Says Sorry
Tedious technical problems have prevented me from posting news of an extraordinary development in my latest tussle with the BBC.
They have, promptly and apparently without reservations, apologised for misrepresenting me in ‘News Briefing’ on Radio 4 on Sunday morning.
The apology runs thus :‘ We acknowledge that the quote used in the paper review did not accurately reflect the full nature of your article. We apologise, and would like to assure you that your concerns were raised with the relevant editorial staff at BBC News.’
Obviously, this can only be the start. The clear and swift admission of fault by the BBC only strengthens my desire to pursue the matter, since the action has much wider significance than my annoyance at being misrepresented.
How did this happen? How was it a) done and b) approved for transmission?
What about the context? Why were the articles selected for the press review all hostile to UKIP (except mine, which was made to seem so)?
And what about the breach of due impartiality, enjoined on the BBC in its Charter and especially important in the days immediately before an election?
I have submitted a further complaint, pointing out that these matters have not been dealt with. I will let readers know what happens.
With the election just 4 days away at the time of the broadcast the BBC was clearly playing politics in this little broadcast.
But hey what’s new?
“BBC APOLOGISES TO PETER HITCHENS AFTER MISREPRESENTING HIS ARTICLE”
http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-London/2014/05/20/BBC-Apologise-to-Hitchens
“Why people will be voting for UKIP this Thursday”
By Ed West.
http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/2014/05/why-people-will-be-voting-for-ukip-this-thursday/
John Humphrys’ interview wigh Farage this morning was fairly good-natured – and fairly fair ! Except for the nonsense about Croydon, which was not a “farce” – it was a near-riot caused by the far left..
Someone I know who is standing in Merton was involved in an angry confrontation outside a railway station yesterday – luckily there was a plain-clothes policeman present who intervened to prevent the threats of physical violence.
Hitchens has landed “Pike”………will he be tempted to utter the immortal words ” you stupid boy” as he administers the priest.
‘Telegraph’ (£)-
“Osborne says: stop abusing Ukip supporters – a bit late George”
By Janet Daley.
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/janetdaley/100272395/osborne-says-stop-abusing-ukip-supporters-a-bit-late-george/
That the overpaid ‘geniuses’ in the big three parties hadn’t worked this out weeks ago is a true measure of their intellectual quality.
They aren’t fit to be in government. Any of them.
That the overpaid commentators right across the mainstream media had also not figured this out, in spite of all stories critical of UKIP being inundated with thousands of comments, explaining exactly why UKIP are growing and looking likely to win the upcoming national election, shows that these commentators are either incredibly thick, or wilfully misleading their readers.
Or, surely, both?
no long rant from on this topic,just get down that polling station on thursday and punish the politacal establishment and there freinds in the media whether left or right by voting for ukip in mass,send these lot a clear message they will never forget,enough of your lies and deceit,enough of you lot.
BBC News Editor Jasmine Lawrence is showing the BBC’s famous impartial balance about tomorrow’s European elections via her twitter feed.
“Jasmine Lawrence @journomummy
#WhyImVotingUkip – to stand up for white, middle class, middle aged men w sexist/racist views, totally under represented in politics today”
“EXCLUSIVE: LABOUR DONOR DEFECTS TO UKIP, TELLS FELLOW MEMBERS TO VOTE FOR FARAGE’S PARTY”
http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-London/2014/05/21/Labour-stalwart-defects-to-ukip
“BBC News Channel Editor Broadcasts Anti-UKIP Rant”
http://order-order.com/2014/05/21/bbc-news-channel-editor-broadcasts-anti-ukip-rant/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+guidofawkes+%28Guy+Fawkes%27+blog+of+parliamentary+plots%2C+rumours+and+conspiracy%29
The Hitchens thing is hilarious if you haven’t heard it listen to Sundays News Briefing on i player. Political bias barely covers it! Hitchens has created a ripple that could become a tidal-wave if he keeps on at the beeb.
The Spectator article was fantastic – What made me laugh more this week is – as a UKIP voter now – how hapless the attempts of mainstream politicians have been in the face of UKIP’s rise: the mock concern and empathy of Cameron, the false contrition of Milliband, while they go on battering UKIP further with the most disgusting smears, lies and name-calling I’ve seen. It only compounded the image of the mainstream parties thinking ordinary people are too think and devoid of self respect to not spot these acts as merely an extrapolation of their cynical expedience and insincerity
I now truly hope UKIP broaden their remit however: I think the direction to go in for them is to pursue direct democracy, become focussed on representing “everyman” and standing for a position to represent the consensus of British opinion. (It means the more they are criticised by the Left, the more they bond with their supporters).
The BBC which is so sensitive that it removes the word “girl” employes Yasmin Lawrence a news editor who tweets racist sexist comments about white UKIP males etc and is merely asked yo delete her twitter account. Why is his person slowed to have any influence over a national news channel ?