The BBC’s latest entry from their journalists following the US elections tells us far more about the BBC than it does about the campaign. Gavin Hewitt’s (following Obama- did we scare off Justin Webb?) is a long and lyrical piece including lines like the following: “What I can attest to, however, is enthusiasm. The kind of enthusiasm that keeps you standing in a queue at a polling station in Franklin … Continue reading
She was fooled. She was duped. Sarah Palin gets the full unquotemarked treatment after listening politely to an imposter’s ramblings. I don’t know when it’s right to switch off a call in disgust, myself. Perhaps if the caller had made remarks about having sex with Palin’s daughter, eh? In the end Palin recognised instantly that she was talking to a radio DJ, and asked too quickly for the DJ’s own … Continue reading
The Sundays bring another round of analysis of the story the Beeb would rather forget – Manuelgate. The Telegraph has two that are interesting: the story that the Tories are considering cutting its funding by £200 million – at least a step in the right direction; and this piece by Bruce Anderson, which makes entertaining reading. One depressing aspect of it, though, is that he points out that the problem … Continue reading
But it is irritating that the Beeb consistently reports allegations against those it supports only after they’ve responded to them. So while Obama’s illegal aunt was making headlines in the Sun, Mail, Times, Guardian, Express and over on Channel 4 hours ago, the Beeb only reports once it can lead with Obama’s response: Obama Unaware of Illegal Aunt
As a project for the weekend I’ve decided to make a start on the World’s first Beebish/English dictionary. My hope is it will eventually prove an invaluable tool for the audience to better understand the BBC’s news reports – or that I might be able to flog it to the Beeb as a training resource for bucket loads of cash. I have a few entries below already, but I’d be … Continue reading
Brand/Ross – “Lesley Douglas knew” On BBC radio news tonight – BBC DG Mark Thompson has stated that Radio 2 controller Lesley Douglas “was aware of the content” of the Brand show before it went out. There seems to be a groundswell of support for Douglas from BBC insiders, who held her in high esteem – Thompson’s predecessor Greg Dyke described her departure in the Times as “arguably deeply unfair“. … Continue reading
Why Manuelgate matters For all the distaste of the calls to Sachs there’s been some understandable frustration here that it’s this issue the public and papers have got upset about, rather than the constant bias. This, though, would seem to suggest the result is the same – a lack of trust in the Beeb that can’t help but hit its unwarranted reputation as a impartial source of news: The PoliticsHome … Continue reading
Provocative and Original One of the lines I’ve been hearing a lot lately, in the wake of BrandRossSachsGate, aside from all the usual “It must never happen again – lessons have been learned” baloney one has come to expect from such furores, is the idea that the BBC must maintain its right to be “provocative and original”. Which got me thinking… when was it ever? I mean, this is a … Continue reading
General BBC-related comment thread! Please use this thread for comments about the BBC’s current programming and activities. This post will remain at or near the top of the blog – scroll down for new topic-specific posts. N.B. This is not an invitation for general off-topic comments, rants or chit-chat. Thoughtful comments are encouraged. Comments may also be moderated. Any suggestions for stories that you might like covered would be appreciated! … Continue reading
Poll positions We know that, as a matter of editorial policy, the BBC doesn’t run opinion polls commissioned elsewhere as news stories in their own right (except for the odd exception). It never occurred to me, though, that its problem with them was that they could be too accurate. This could be the case, if the ComRes polls for the Daily Politics programme are anything to go by, however. Political … Continue reading
