Most excellent post here on Autonomous Mind questioning the BBCs print wing – The Guardian.
You won’t find this update, about the Guardian’s allegations about Milly Dowler’s voicemails being deleted by people working for the News of the World, on the BBC News website. The BBC, as the broadcast arm of the Guardian, has an editorial culture of omitting stories that paint the Guardian in a negative light and thus will act as if the story does not exist.
Make sure you read it all.
Doesn’t BBC DG Mark Thompson sound a tad defensive?
Mark Thompson, the BBC director-general, has suggested criticism of its faked wildlife programme scenes had been fuelled by newspapers’ bitterness over the corporation’s coverage of the phone hacking inquiry. Mr Thompson questioned whether condemnation of misleading footage of polar bears in its Frozen Planet show had been influenced by the BBC’s comprehensive reporting of the Leveson inquiry into press standards. “I do rather wonder whether this is really about polar bears or about Lord Leveson and other matters,” he told MPs.
Wednesday dawns and time for a new one of these since the Monday one is bursting at the seams. Looks like you have been able to discern plenty of bias from the State Broadcaster so once more the floor is yours…see how quickly you can fill this up.
Given BBC antipathy towards the current UK Government, one can almost understand it’s enthusiasm to move the debate on from yesterday’s better than forecast inflation figures and back onto the negative narrative so preferred. We got a double whammy of that this morning from the BBC. First was the “news” that government plans to reform the system of funding for elderly care could be delayed by 10 years to 2025. Andrew Dilnot, former chairman of the Independent Commission for Funding of Care and Support, says such a move would be a “betrayal of people’s trust”. Then, following up the meme, comes the item that the UK’s monthly unemployment figures are likely to bring more grim news after last month’s figures showed unemployment rose to more than 2.6 million in the three months to September. In summary – vote Labour!
Anyone catch this interview with SNP Leader Alex Salmond on the BBC this morning? Although I missed the beginning of it I knew it had to Salmond speaking such was the lack of interruptions and deep respect afforded to such a BBC preferred “Statesman”. Salmond was there to put the boot into Cameron, of course, |(BTW – How upset must the BBC over the latest polls showing a Conservative “bounce”? Let’s move on…) whilst insisting that an independent Scotland would graciously retain the Pound Sterling for “some time”, with the adoption of the Euro being much further into the future. I’ll say! This self serving economic waffle was not challenged in any way. Suppose the people of the UK decided that if Scotland decided to depart the Union it could also depart the currency of that Union? It’s obvious that Salmond wants to cling to our National currency because he knows, and we know, that the Euro is a busted flush. In truth, this should act as a massive dampener on those Rob Roy dreams but the BBC mostly accepts the line taken by Salmond, never asking why he would prefer Brussels rule over Westminster co-operation.
Taking a short break from endlessly repeating that the UK “is isolated” and that Nick Clegg “is unhappy”, the BBC was flogging that old favourite “child poverty” chestnut this morning. It brought on former Labour health secretary Alan Milburn (Once a BBC hero) to pronounce on the alleged “rise” in what they call “child poverty”. What struck me was that although Milburn and the BBC are now forced to concede that it is “relative poverty” they are talking about (60% of median wage after housing costs) – they both agreed that poverty is rising even though median wages are falling. No explanation was given for this oddity. Nor is there any admission that “relative poverty” is a leftist invention engineered to ensure perpetual whingeing and a desire as Milburn put it “for higher wages.”
“Some of your hat-tippers may have already picked this up, but last Friday’s edition of The Now Show featured a comedian called Paul Sinha. Amusingly, and to much audience laughter, he said that in order to meet the BBC’s commitment to editorial balance a comedian from the Far Left was always balanced by one from the Centre Left. He added that ‘he was always grateful for the work’.”
Looks like our pals at the BBC have been very busy boys today! A Biased BBC reader notes…
“There was an interesting article on the BBC website this morning about a report from the Adam Smith institute claiming that renewable energy is flawed. The article was quite a surprise as it seemed fairly balanced however it was clearly off message as it has now been completely re-written to say something different, the change of the headline alone is pretty damning. Full information is available here with a link to the article in question. http://www.newssniffer.co.uk/articles/467718/diff/0/1“
Monday morning and time to tell me what you think of Big Broadcasting Brother….
The BBC is determined to present the outcome of the Climate Change debacle in Durban as some sort of triumph and this was all too evident with this interview with Lord Stern this morning. What struck me was the way in which he was allowed to waffle without interruption; the way in which he was allowed to present unsubstantiated claims as incontrovertible facts; the way in which any dissenting voices on Durban were ruthlessly expunged from the debate. Also note the way in which the debate was framed…
“Lord Nicholas Stern, chair of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics analyses whether the deal goes far enough.”
Not a hint of bias there, right?
