Political bias at BBC - something has to be done surely

[jonnyb]

I don't think it's bias to say what the BBC have said. It's just a statement of fact.

You should look at the live page, that makes worse reading!

[Countdown]

Digga said:

At what point does 'reporting' become a self-fulfilling prophecy? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-36864273

I had hoped the country was possessed of a bit more backbone, grit and determination, but apparently not...

So the BBC reports that "something which a lot of people feared would happen, is actually happening"??

Damn them, damn them to hell!!!

[Halb]

coppice said:

Everybody has the right to a voice and frankly I would rather hear what, say, Ian McEwan or Ralph Fiennes has to say than a Kardashian's wittering .

I agree.
I like it when we have a creative/arts person on QT. Politicians seek them out and they are often int he circles of the movers and shakers of the world. The best example was Tony Blair's cool Britannia thing, all the politicians do it. Like some wag said once, politics is celebrity for ugly people. The rub works both ways, and sometimes the arts lot learn stuff.
A nice QT panel of a few politicians, a business/journo type, a creative type, always a nice balanced view.

[jonnyb]

Countdown said:

Digga said:

At what point does 'reporting' become a self-fulfilling prophecy? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-36864273

I had hoped the country was possessed of a bit more backbone, grit and determination, but apparently not...

So the BBC reports that "something which a lot of people feared would happen, is actually happening"??

Damn them, damn them to hell!!!

[Digga]

jonnyb said:

Countdown said:

Digga said:

At what point does 'reporting' become a self-fulfilling prophecy? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-36864273

I had hoped the country was possessed of a bit more backbone, grit and determination, but apparently not...

So the BBC reports that "something which a lot of people feared would happen, is actually happening"??

Damn them, damn them to hell!!!

Even the IMF have been 'revising' their predictions, shuffling papers, looking at their feet and saying, in fact, they don't really know. Fear, lack of confidence and recessions can be stoked, especially with the sort of coverage the BBC has. It does not mean the opinions they form are correct. Ask Cliff Richard.

ETA from another thread:

Edited by Digga on Friday 22 July 11:08

[Roy Lime]

Amongst some other stuff,

Funk said:

I read something on this once and it had something to do with the fact that mostly the arts are about creativity and free thinking, often detached from the traditional 'real world'; it's not your typical 9-5 job and lifestyle. They're often off travelling, keeping strange hours, working in a 'bubble' with other 'non-traditional' people.

While I can see where you're coming from with the rest of your post, it's the first sentence that troubles me. These people are supposedly "free thinking", yet they all seem to think the same thoughts.

coppice said:

Everybody has the right to a voice and frankly I would rather hear what, say, Ian McEwan or Ralph Fiennes has to say than a Kardashian's wittering .

But they don't really, do they? A Joe Average character isn't given the same opportunity to spout as the celebrity lot (I mean as a guest on the panel, before some pedant pops up). And I'd rather hear the views of Joe Average in the fifth chair than the utterly predictable comments of the performing contingent week in, week out.

[jjlynn27]

Digga

I'm not sure that I understand your point. Do you think that they should report economic data or they should put positive spin? I haven't seen negative spin just data. Data is what it is. They did report export growth. I really dot buy that ft are lefties IMF are always wrong and BBC goes around looking for negative stories.
(All eoo are mobile fault)

[Digga]

jjlynn27 said:

Digga

I'm not sure that I understand your point. Do you think that they should report economic data or they should put positive spin? I haven't seen negative spin just data. Data is what it is. They did report export growth. I really dot buy that ft are lefties IMF are always wrong and BBC goes around looking for negative stories.
(All eoo are mobile fault)

The facts are over-egged with hyperbole. I see it - others on the thread see the BBC's bias - but it is merely an opinion, of course. You don't share it, which is fine.

[London424]

jjlynn27 said:

Digga

I'm not sure that I understand your point. Do you think that they should report economic data or they should put positive spin? I haven't seen negative spin just data. Data is what it is. They did report export growth. I really dot buy that ft are lefties IMF are always wrong and BBC goes around looking for negative stories.
(All eoo are mobile fault)

Why not lead with the headline 'Exports up!' and then report the facts in the rest of the article? Equally true no?

[jjlynn27]

Digga said:

jjlynn27 said:

Digga

I'm not sure that I understand your point. Do you think that they should report economic data or they should put positive spin? I haven't seen negative spin just data. Data is what it is. They did report export growth. I really dot buy that ft are lefties IMF are always wrong and BBC goes around looking for negative stories.
(All eoo are mobile fault)

The facts are over-egged with hyperbole. I see it - others on the thread see the BBC's bias - but it is merely an opinion, of course. You don't share it, which is fine.

It wasn't meant as confrontational post, more along the lines; is there any scenario under you'll see it as BBC is reporting things that are happening, and those are the same things that a lot of people said that it would happen.
I'll now go and re-read the article to try to see hyperbole.

[Camoradi]

When the BBC have an opinion which they want to push , they use it in the headline as if it a fact, then qualify it at the end as perhaps being just the opinion of an individual.

EG. "Leaving the EU will mean no more Audi's, so buy one quickly." "That's the opinion of Audi UK sales manager, Berndt Fingers"

The headline of the article above shows this with the "data suggests" at the end. It's subtle, but consistently applied. I've noticed it over the last year or so, as my political opinions have veered wildly to the far right

[jjlynn27]

London424 said:

Why not lead with the headline 'Exports up!' and then report the facts in the rest of the article? Equally true no?

Eh? Because even with exports up, the overall picture is negative outlook? I don't get this obsession with what the headline is. If you read the article (and I did it again ) I can't see any hyperbole, if anything it's toned down version of the report that it was based on.

[turbobloke]

jjlynn27 said:

London424 said:

Why not lead with the headline 'Exports up!' and then report the facts in the rest of the article? Equally true no?

Eh? Because even with exports up, the overall picture is negative outlook?

From the PMI number, it's already negative, next month will say more about how predictive it is in a scenario such as this where a referendum result causes what may be a short-term shock. Comparisons with the GFC are questionable due to the different type of cause-and-effect in play.

PMI arises as you will know from a particular type of business survey in which respondents are asked to state whether business conditions for a number of variables have improved, deteriorated or stayed the same compared with the previous month (with reasons for any change).

The immediate uncertainty post-referendum will have had an impact for sure, and it will be interesting to see what the sub-indices have to say prior to next month's PMI result.

[Digga]

jjlynn27 said:

Digga said:

jjlynn27 said:

Digga

I'm not sure that I understand your point. Do you think that they should report economic data or they should put positive spin? I haven't seen negative spin just data. Data is what it is. They did report export growth. I really dot buy that ft are lefties IMF are always wrong and BBC goes around looking for negative stories.
(All eoo are mobile fault)

The facts are over-egged with hyperbole. I see it - others on the thread see the BBC's bias - but it is merely an opinion, of course. You don't share it, which is fine.

It wasn't meant as confrontational post, more along the lines; is there any scenario under you'll see it as BBC is reporting things that are happening, and those are the same things that a lot of people said that it would happen.
I'll now go and re-read the article to try to see hyperbole.

It appears the survey was taken in the week before and the week after the Referendum, which was a time of massive uncertainty. It is reading a lot into a very small snapshot of what is, in any case, always only a general indicator of the direction the economy will take and, in any case, GDP is far higher than it was in 2009. Frankly the hyperbole and spin is cretinously dangerous.

[Stickyfinger]

How far up the Corbyn backside could Vine on Radio 2 get.....are they personal friends off air ?

[Funk]

coppice said:

Funk said:

I read something on this once and it had something to do with the fact that mostly the arts are about creativity and free thinking, often detached from the traditional 'real world'; it's not your typical 9-5 job and lifestyle. They're often off travelling, keeping strange hours, working in a 'bubble' with other 'non-traditional' people.

In such a 'people-focused' environment it's an important skill to be able to get along with those around you (who you know, not what..) which tends to mean they are usually surrounded by others who are like-minded and accepting. It therefore follows that those folk are probably more accepting of minority groups and cultures, favour free speech and are often far more relaxed about things like recreational drug use. Quite a bit of that runs counter to 'traditional' conservative views and values and 'normal' lives lived by the rest of us (ie. Mon-Fri, 9-5:30 desk job and 2.4 kids etc)..

The paradox is that often with fame comes fortune and it often seems to be at odds that those who earn vast sums in the field are the ones preaching to the rest of us about moral and social issues such as poverty. Please don't think I'm equating earnings and immorality - I'm not - I'm just surprised by the cognitive dissonance needed to preach about things like corporate greed etc from a £Xm house when you have no need to ever work again. Perhaps it's to assuage some form of guilt (ie. 'giving something back/doing something') and there's a reason the phrase 'champagne socialist' was invented...

Combine all that with a platform that gives them the ability to be heard (TV, radio etc) and you can see why the left-leaning view seems to permeate the media.

Funnily enough I saw an article on some celeb's view on Brexit and thought to myself, "If they weren't famous, no-one would ever hear what they thought and even if they did, they wouldn't give a st what they think." It's a strange phenomenon that 'being famous' seems to make your opinion a) informed and b) important/relevant.

I have no doubt that 'slebs live in as much of a distorted bubble as politicians in Westminster do and have a view that reflects that - and they're given the ability to air whatever pops into their heads..

Arts and slebs are not the same- far from it.Most people in the creative arts earn two parts of sod all and certainly don't get the sort of media voice , and earning capacity , of a Graham Norton or whoever. Don't knock all politicians and actors as being in a bubble -plenty of politicians I have met/worked with are hard working and decent. As for actors- only know a couple - one well known and rest struggling in rep etc.They are just normal people - bit like folk who like cars - even though some do try to live up to the knuckle dragging stereotype. (not you M<r F )

You're quite right, I didn't mean to conflate the two so much. I think the original question could probably be more accurately positioned as 'why are most famous people/celebrities left-leaning" - they're the ones who often get used in soundbites as if they're an authority on the subject at hand.

I was also specific about the 'Westminster bubble', some MPs do a good job but they tend to be the ones who realise there's a world outside of the M25...

[turbobloke]

Stickyfinger said:

How far up the Corbyn backside could Vine on Radio 2 get.....are they personal friends off air ?

Vine would have to make a determined effort to beat the BBC champ at this sport...Toenails from the Brown era.

He's obviously trying hard.

[Johnnytheboy]

I like the way that when there is one of these rallies in support of Mr Corbyn, the crowd are generally waving placards endorsing a different political party.



Should those banners not say Labour on them?

[Liszt]

Johnnytheboy said:

I like the way that when there is one of these rallies in support of Mr Corbyn, the crowd are generally waving placards endorsing a different political party.



Should those banners not say Labour on them?

Lucky they seem to have all taken the same afternoon off too.

[Digga]

Liszt said:

Lucky they seem to have all taken the same afternoon off too.

Nearly always a thought which occurs to me too. Of course if you are in the right job and on union business comrade...