Political bias at BBC - something has to be done surely

[Cheese Mechanic]

turbobloke said:

I didn't see it but recall reading a report on the BBC's biased coverage in which the writer described Edwards' evolving countenance as that of a man being told his dog has been run over.

I well recall that, it was Littlejohn in the Wail. I thought it fking hilarious . LJ at his acerbic best

[XM5ER]

The Don of Croy said:

Last week - or the week before? - they ran an EXCLUSIVE about some SA sprinter bod who wanted to complain that they felt being asked to prove their gender (after winning a race) made them upset.

The question was posed in 2009.

I had to check a calendar just to be sure we were in 2015. And that is NEWS.

I caught that article and thought pretty much the same. What I did find hilarious was the way that right at the end they tucked away the fact that said sprinter happens to have the complete set of genitalia on call, making the request for proof unfortunate but entirely reasonable.

[Luke Warm]

Bias evident again today in the coverage of Charles Kennedy's death. "A loss to the liberal cause" according to one BBC reporter. When Michael Howard dies will they say it is a loss to the conservative cause? Somehow, I doubt it. They'll just call him a Tory.

[NoNeed]

Luke Warm said:

Bias evident again today in the coverage of Charles Kennedy's death. "A loss to the liberal cause" according to one BBC reporter. When Michael Howard dies will they say it is a loss to the conservative cause? Somehow, I doubt it. They'll just call him a Tory.

And do an interview with a hate filled leftie while his effigy is burned in the background

[Halb]

Is Michael Howard as universally liked as Charles, and has he done as much for the Torys as Charles did for the LDs?

[NoNeed]

Halb said:

Is Michael Howard as universally liked as Charles, and has he done as much for the Torys as Charles did for the LDs?

How can a Tory be universally liked when the BBC spout nothing but st about them 24/7

[Funk]

The Left are out of business for some time now, completely unelectable. The BBC will alter slowly as their employees realise they're out of step with the rest of the country and public opinion.

In fact if they want to save their money-making wheeze they'll need to do it soon lest the public decide they support reforms and cuts to BBC funding...

[AJS-]

Sir Humphrey said:

Timmy40 said:

Again, last night on the radio news I heard 4/5 of members had voted to strike, even the most mathematically challenged journalist could have easily worked out that 80% of 60% is 48%, and reported it as 48% of rail workers voted to strike.

This isn't just lazy reporting, this is a systematic distortion of the facts on an on going and deliberate basis. And I'm getting fedup with it as member of the public.

I WANT UNBIASED TRUTHFUL AND ACCURATE REPORTING.

I DONT WANT CONSERVATIVE BIAS

I DONT WANT LABOUR BIAS.

Unbiased reporting isn't possible, what is possible is an organisation which is openly left/right wing, if you read both the Telegraph and the Guardian you are probably going to get something fairly balanced on most topics.

Well said. I don't know why more people can't see this.

This stupid quest for "unbiased" news gives more power and credibility to the BBC than it ever deserved.

[gruffalo]

You can have unbiased reporting by reporting the facts and not editing them in any way or highlighting one part over another, that is reporting as it should be.

Just give the audience the complete picture and let the audience make there own decision on what bits they take from it.

[tangerine_sedge]

gruffalo said:

Just give the audience the complete picture and let the audience make there own decision on what bits they take from it.

The problem with this, is that most stories have lots of facts, do you want a single news item to last 3 hours as they explore all the facts? Subsequently some sort of editing needs to be applied to filter out the most salient facts, and it's during this necessary editing where bias can be applied. I accept that all news sources have some form of bias, so take a wide range of news sources to get a rounded picture of a story. As another poster said, take the Telegraph and the Guardian and the truth lies somewhere inbetween the two.

The BBC have a difficult job of walking the tightrope of balance, and occasionally get it wrong, but I don't think there is an editorial decision to be 'left' or 'right' leaning.

[Cheese Mechanic]

tangerine_sedge said:

The BBC have a difficult job of walking the tightrope of balance, and occasionally get it wrong, but I don't think there is an editorial decision to be 'left' or 'right' leaning.

Not even when copies of the Guardian are given out to advise on editorial guidance of the topic in question?

The BBC is Left leaning, it admits it itself. Has done on numerous occasions. In the case of news repoting, there is far to much opinion given and not enough fact. They are not alone of course, but having said that, they alone are funded by the force of law .

Personally the BBC could do what it liked as far as I am concerned , but when I'm forced by law to fund it if I have the cheek to watch a competitiors live broadcast , then it fks me right off. Time for change, time for freedom of choice.

[Timmy40]

AJS- said:

Sir Humphrey said:

Timmy40 said:

Again, last night on the radio news I heard 4/5 of members had voted to strike, even the most mathematically challenged journalist could have easily worked out that 80% of 60% is 48%, and reported it as 48% of rail workers voted to strike.

This isn't just lazy reporting, this is a systematic distortion of the facts on an on going and deliberate basis. And I'm getting fedup with it as member of the public.

I WANT UNBIASED TRUTHFUL AND ACCURATE REPORTING.

I DONT WANT CONSERVATIVE BIAS

I DONT WANT LABOUR BIAS.

Unbiased reporting isn't possible, what is possible is an organisation which is openly left/right wing, if you read both the Telegraph and the Guardian you are probably going to get something fairly balanced on most topics.

Well said. I don't know why more people can't see this.

This stupid quest for "unbiased" news gives more power and credibility to the BBC than it ever deserved.

The point is that I am not forced to pay an annual subscription to the Guardian, I can choose not to buy it or read it's content. By owning a TV at all I am forced to pay an annual license fee/subscription which goes to the BBC even if I disagree with their left wing slant.

[Timmy40]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Not the point.

The point is we are forced to pay for it. If it can't be unbiased then the BBC should be weaned off from the license fee, which should be scrapped, and the BBC should fund itself. Guardian readers can then watch the BBC for what they feel in unbiased reporting, and readers of a different political leaning can watch other channels of which there are now many.

[Timmy40]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Yes but accepting that is an impossible goal then there should be a media free of state funding, paid for by the consumers who CHOOSE to consume that media. A public sector broadcaster will always be biased towards the left in the same way as employees in any public sector organisation will be.

I don't think the BBC is capable of not being biased.

[Andy Zarse]

@DanHannanMEP: It is scandalous that the BBC reports the views of a pro-EU Norwegian minister without mentioning that 65-70% of Norwegians oppose entry.

[Andy Zarse]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

But everyone here knows Farage wants out. It's the quiet low level misrepresentation which annoys.

[Smollet]

Official denial on political bias.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-32975...

[andymadmak]

Smollet said:

Official denial on political bias.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-32975...

Hardly surprising


The BBC has had left bias for years. Even former employees confirm it. However, as we see in this article (and also from BBC defenders on this thread) the standard rebuttal technique is to claim that everyone else is complaining of bias against them too. Somehow the notion has been allowed to develop that if Labour complain vociferously about bias against THEM, then this proves that the BBC is NOT biased against the Tories. Its just a smokescreen

[Timmy40]

andymadmak said:

Smollet said:

Official denial on political bias.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-32975...

Hardly surprising


The BBC has had left bias for years. Even former employees confirm it. However, as we see in this article (and also from BBC defenders on this thread) the standard rebuttal technique is to claim that everyone else is complaining of bias against them too. Somehow the notion has been allowed to develop that if Labour complain vociferously about bias against THEM, then this proves that the BBC is NOT biased against the Tories. Its just a smokescreen

Yep me thinks the Lefty Lady doth protest too much.

[Esseesse]

andymadmak said:

Smollet said:

Official denial on political bias.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-32975...

Hardly surprising


The BBC has had left bias for years. Even former employees confirm it. However, as we see in this article (and also from BBC defenders on this thread) the standard rebuttal technique is to claim that everyone else is complaining of bias against them too. Somehow the notion has been allowed to develop that if Labour complain vociferously about bias against THEM, then this proves that the BBC is NOT biased against the Tories. Its just a smokescreen

The smokescreen is that, no they may not be biased against the Torys, but they are biased against anything right-leaning.

BBC Article said:

James Harding said "the fabled left-wing bias" was "unfair and unfounded", and was "hard to take seriously" given the Conservative victory.

Cameron's Torys are not particularly right leaning or conservative and could easily be mistaken for New Labour. While the 'established' parties only differ on presentation, and they're all aiming for the centre-left/soft-left '3rd way', and the BBC frames all debate within this narrow way of thinking and mocks those with a viewpoint outside of it, it is itself left leaning.