BBC Boss ADMITS left bias!!!
Discussion
Gordon Clown was seen as a liability, responsible for Labour's electoral unpopularity - hard time due from hardline supporters. The telling point was that Gordon clearly had misled himself (nothing new) to expect kid glove treatment from the sycophants at the BBC and was clearly surprised and annoyed to be faced with reality from such a source in a public interview. There's probably a pencil comment beside a mobile phone shaped hole in the studio wall commemorating the event.
JMGS4 said:
andymadmak said:
The question is, does the bias persist today? And the answer to that, by any rational analysis of how the news is presented, where the emphasis is placed, how politicians of all parties are cross examinded (and not just on the primary questions but also on the follow ups and the levels of interruptions) is that the BBC is still very much left leaning, but is getting rather better at camoflaging it.
YES the bias persists, just see the 1 hour programme on a failed PM bLIAR where marr might just as wel been giving him a BJ with all his sycophancy, and recent interviews of Minigland about foreign policy when the foreign minister wasn't even interviewed. Minigland has to get out of his nappies before he tries o comment on anything apart from his nursery school class.And family experience here. My eldest daughter was interviewed 4 years ago for a translators job at the Beeb (God knows they need translators, it seems half of them are illiterate or bargain basement yokels nowadays). She speaks 5 languages fluently (3 MAs and a BSc) and another 3 well. One of the first questions asked was what newspapers she reads and which union she would be joining if/when she got the job. Both these questions were so obviously left slanted that she said she'd prefer to get a job where she wasn't politically vetted before she even got the job.
oyster said:
Didn't Gordon Brown get a bit of a mauling from Andrew Marr a few months before the election? Where he accused GB of being a 'mental'.
Doesn't count. Perceptions of bias work on the ratchet principle whereby examples in your favour reaffirm your contention whereas examples which don't support your contention slip by unnoticed. Thus, one becomes increasingly enraged about the "obvious" and "increasing" bias.I'm sure it will be of little interest to anyone that doesn't want to acccept the findings but I was part of a study during my time at University (a proper one, studying for a proper degree before anyone starts - and some of the Professors were proper right wingers, too (although a good number weren't, but that's to be expected)) looking into perceptions of bias within the media generally with a good deal of focus on the BBC specifically. It was remarkable to me the bias in individuals' perceptions of bias. It was quite easy to fool people into believing the exact opposite of what had been said/printed/broadcast by premising the article/broadcast with snippets of information about the writer/broadcaster. In broadcasts it was also clear that people watching a segment would believe x was given a much tougher time than y, or y was given much more opportunity to speak than x contrary to the reality. And another person or group would watch the same segment and draw the polar opposite conclusion.
It was not permitted to disclose to the subjects how they had "scored" but in general life I see the same conclusions drawn by colleagues and friends, many of whom are very well educated and quite rounded, and when challenged these colleagues and friends categorically state the "obvious" and "evident" bias.
Anyway, like I say, most people do not want to have their perceptions challenged, in the face of evidence to the contrary.
If anyone's still interested in my opinion I find the BBC is often very critical of government, it is also often very open to Opposition. This is because it is one of the objectives of the media (and the BBC particularly) to challenge authority and to call it into account. The Opposition has a duty to make itself available for comment at every opportunity, even when it doesn't have a great deal in a constructive sense to add to the debate. Within that I don't particularly feel the bias in favour of the Left is anywhere near as damning as many who wish to believe that would have me believe. I find it quite tiresome, to be honest, but I'm glad pressure is continually applied onto the BBC to ensure its obligations to remain neutral are upheld - or at least strived for. Any genuine "bias" in favour of the Left, I believe to be considerably less today than was the case in the past several decades. Not perfect but not a great concern to me.
I could go on mentioning the attraction of left leaning professionals into the BBC and the corresponding disattraction of right leaning professionals into the industry and the BBC particularly, and also the potential for ulterior motives of BBC baiters but I'm confident by now interest in my post will be waning.
As you were.
scenario8 said:
oyster said:
Didn't Gordon Brown get a bit of a mauling from Andrew Marr a few months before the election? Where he accused GB of being a 'mental'.
Doesn't count. Perceptions of bias work on the ratchet principle whereby examples in your favour reaffirm your contention whereas examples which don't support your contention slip by unnoticed. Thus, one becomes increasingly enraged about the "obvious" and "increasing" bias.I'm sure it will be of little interest to anyone that doesn't want to acccept the findings but I was part of a study during my time at University (a proper one, studying for a proper degree before anyone starts - and some of the Professors were proper right wingers, too (although a good number weren't, but that's to be expected)) looking into perceptions of bias within the media generally with a good deal of focus on the BBC specifically. It was remarkable to me the bias in individuals' perceptions of bias. It was quite easy to fool people into believing the exact opposite of what had been said/printed/broadcast by premising the article/broadcast with snippets of information about the writer/broadcaster. In broadcasts it was also clear that people watching a segment would believe x was given a much tougher time than y, or y was given much more opportunity to speak than x contrary to the reality. And another person or group would watch the same segment and draw the polar opposite conclusion.
It was not permitted to disclose to the subjects how they had "scored" but in general life I see the same conclusions drawn by colleagues and friends, many of whom are very well educated and quite rounded, and when challenged these colleagues and friends categorically state the "obvious" and "evident" bias.
Anyway, like I say, most people do not want to have their perceptions challenged, in the face of evidence to the contrary.
If anyone's still interested in my opinion I find the BBC is often very critical of government, it is also often very open to Opposition. This is because it is one of the objectives of the media (and the BBC particularly) to challenge authority and to call it into account. The Opposition has a duty to make itself available for comment at every opportunity, even when it doesn't have a great deal in a constructive sense to add to the debate. Within that I don't particularly feel the bias in favour of the Left is anywhere near as damning as many who wish to believe that would have me believe. I find it quite tiresome, to be honest, but I'm glad pressure is continually applied onto the BBC to ensure its obligations to remain neutral are upheld - or at least strived for. Any genuine "bias" in favour of the Left, I believe to be considerably less today than was the case in the past several decades. Not perfect but not a great concern to me.
I could go on mentioning the attraction of left leaning professionals into the BBC and the corresponding disattraction of right leaning professionals into the industry and the BBC particularly, and also the potential for ulterior motives of BBC baiters but I'm confident by now interest in my post will be waning.
As you were.
Why not make your own mind up and ignore the bias rather than stressing about it. Switch over watch something else. Come to your own conclusions. They( the conclusions that is) are probably just as flawed as someone elses. If it makes you happy then ok the 'bbc are biased'. So what. One mans bias is another man's truth. 
chimster said:
Why not make your own mind up and ignore the bias rather than stressing about it. Switch over watch something else. Come to your own conclusions. They( the conclusions that is) are probably just as flawed as someone elses. If it makes you happy then ok the 'bbc are biased'. So what. One mans bias is another man's truth.
So what? because it is supposed to be impartial according to it's (pointless) Charter? it is supposed to be providing this 'service' for which it is paid handsomely by you and I. However, due to the new Command it will probably suffer a bias swing to the right mybrainhurts said:
Parrot of Doom said:
You're talking out of your arse. There's an obvious left-leaning in the BBC's staff, but that isn't through some kind of recruitment policy, its because most people in the arts are that way inclined.
Is it false that all their recruitment ads go in the Guardian...?The real Apache said:
chimster said:
Why not make your own mind up and ignore the bias rather than stressing about it. Switch over watch something else. Come to your own conclusions. They( the conclusions that is) are probably just as flawed as someone elses. If it makes you happy then ok the 'bbc are biased'. So what. One mans bias is another man's truth.
So what? because it is supposed to be impartial according to it's (pointless) Charter? it is supposed to be providing this 'service' for which it is paid handsomely by you and I. However, due to the new Command it will probably suffer a bias swing to the right 
Tunku said:
An extraordinary amount of left wing defense of the BBC in here. Quite surprising.
It is not that those of us who don't see a bias are wrong - we are all paid commie apparatchiks of course, propogating bulletin boards with propaganda to try and shout down the opinions of those Mail readers who have seen through the tissue of lies.I get a sliver of the licence fee every month to pay for the predictably regular Italian electrical glitches, for which I am grateful.
limpsfield said:
Tunku said:
An extraordinary amount of left wing defense of the BBC in here. Quite surprising.
It is not that those of us who don't see a bias are wrong - we are all paid commie apparatchiks of course, propogating bulletin boards with propaganda to try and shout down the opinions of those Mail readers who have seen through the tissue of lies.I get a sliver of the licence fee every month to pay for the predictably regular Italian electrical glitches, for which I am grateful.
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