“The truth is, most “quality” BBC programmes aren’t paid out of our license fee, but make a profit,” says James Graham of Qaequam blog. “What you pay for out of your license fee is the uncommercial stuff, which with the exception of things such as educational programming and news, normally means low grade crap such as soap operas and reality TV.” Is that right? Reading the comments on the Quaequam … Continue reading →

By the Observer’s Nick Cohen may be of interest. Although it is impossible to generalise about such a vast organisation, the bias charge has enough truth in it to stick. If you doubt me, research one opinion outside the liberal consensus. Read up on the arguments for making Britain a fairer country by giving trade unionists more rights, for instance, or saying that abortion is murder or that Tony Blair’s … Continue reading →

Please use this thread for off-topic, but preferably BBC related, comments. Please keep comments on other threads to the topic at hand. N.B. this is not an invitation for general off-topic comments – our aim is to maintain order and clarity on the topic-specific threads. This post will remain at or near the top of the blog. Please scroll down to find new topic-specific posts. Click through to read and … Continue reading →

there was a great example of the BBC’s bias towards itself. Around 11.15am, they showed a lengthy filmed package about the BBC’s new production of Robin Hood, which will “fill the coveted Dr. Who slot on Saturday evenings”. This went on for a good many minutes, with excerpts from the production, interviews with the actors and production team and so on. It was nothing but an advert, an infomercial, masquerading … Continue reading →

is the description the BBC uses for the Muslim Public Affairs Committee. In a post for the influential left-wing site Harry’s Place, “david t” says: Secondly, it is wrong to describe MPACUK as a “civil liberties group”. It is, rather, an extreme Islamist organisation which republishes material not only from other extreme Islamist organisations, but also from US and UK neo-Nazi websites. Read and note his first point as well. … Continue reading →

is the Beeb’s stock in trade. If it’s not in line with their script, forget it. If they can get over their Foleygate giddiness to report that Judge Anna Diggs Taylor’s ruling has been given a unanimous smackdown by a 3 judge panel I’ll be surprised. You may recall that the BBC editorialized that her ruling was a “stinging rebuke” to the Bush administration way back in August. Will the … Continue reading →

Over on Iain Dale’s site he mentions a BBC report about the forthcoming Internet TV station, 18 Doughty Street. According to the BBC the new station will be: “… a sort of British version of Fox News, which is Rupert Murdoch’s news channel in the United States. Fox is attacked for being politically partisan and that of course is not allowed here.” “Not allowed here”! I had to pour myself … Continue reading →

Please use this thread for off-topic, but preferably BBC related, comments. Please keep comments on other threads to the topic at hand. N.B. this is not an invitation for general off-topic comments – our aim is to maintain order and clarity on the topic-specific threads. This post will remain at or near the top of the blog. Please scroll down to find new topic-specific posts. Click through to read and … Continue reading →

Titillating it may be, but the BBC’s reporting on Cuba’s centenarians here strikes me as downright dishonest. Scott produced an excellent post on this earlier, last month in fact. The BBC, it seems, has a policy of presenting Cuba as a first world country, at least in matters of health. Talk about stretching the fabric of reality. Notice how the information is filtered through a)A state social health program and … Continue reading →

… wails John Humphrys (RealAudio) on the Today programme. This blog isn’t a place to discuss gun control. Nor American culture. Nor Islamic culture, come to that. But there does seem to be a pattern here. When a few Americans do bad things, be it at Columbine or Abu Ghraib, the question is always asked – what does this tell us about U.S. society and culture ? Not so for … Continue reading →