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Political Bias at the BBC
Topic Started: Sep 29 2014, 06:58 AM (358 Views)
papasmurf
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I used to take accusations that the BBC is biased (one way or the other with a pinch of salt.
However since Nick Robinsons long connections with the Conservative Party are now public domain, a suspicion of right wing bias started to emerge.
It appears from a fringe meeting at the Conservative party to-day that another example of BBC conservative bias has emerged:-


A debate titled ‘Benefits Street: What more needs to be done to help people into work?’ at the Conservative Party Conference this morning at 10am will will be chaired by Allegra Stratton, political editor of Newsnight.
(Newsnight has already had to issue an apology about Allegra Stratton as it is.
Allegra Stratton Newsnight 23 May 2012 falsely portrays woman as unemployed


Ms Stratton conducted an interview with Shanene Thorpe, a young single mother from Tower Hamlets. She quite aggressively questioned Ms. Thorpe why she was living in her own flat, claiming Housing Benefit, when she could be living at home with her mother. After the interview, Ms. Stratton spoke directly to camera, saying, “The government is thinking of saying to young people: if you don’t have work, don’t leave home.”

The clear implication was that Ms Thorpe was unemployed and living off benefits as a lifestyle choice. She was actually working full time, and had been in work or work-related training since she was sixteen, but this inconvenient truth was edited from the interview. After Ms Thorpe complained that she had been misrepresented and humiliated, Newsnight eventually issued a public apology. So, as a Chair for a ‘Benefits Street’ debate, Ms. Stratton does not inspire confidence.


I suspect that debate will be all over the right wing press tomorrow.
If the debate had been titled "What more needs to be done to help people into work?" I would have no problem, but sticking "Benefits Street" at the start make it obvious the direction will take.
Edited by papasmurf, Sep 29 2014, 06:59 AM.
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Tigger
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Rich
Sep 29 2014, 10:10 AM
RJD
Sep 29 2014, 07:55 AM
What do they say about the best form of defence? Get your attack in early. This is just another example of Mr Smurf attempting to undermine the news programme by attacking the credentials of participants. There is no proof that this programme is biased, but it is always good to infer it might be.

The BBC is institutionally left wing and in order to obtain some balance it needs to recruit a lot more people into it's organisation that are not of the slappy happy spend someone else's money brigade.


Name me one publicly funded body that is not left wing.
For starters the armed forces, the secret services (mostly) and numerous quangos that spunk our money.
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RoofGardener
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Rich
Sep 29 2014, 10:10 AM

Name me one publicly funded body that is not left wing.
The Security Services ?
the SIS ?
The Labout Party. Oh... no ... wait.. they are not publically funded. Still, they meet the other criteria.
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johnofgwent
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Steve K
Sep 29 2014, 04:19 PM
johnofgwent
Sep 29 2014, 03:47 PM
Right wing bias My Fragrant Viking Arse

If "the bbc" is so utterly right wing why do its presenters (I will not give them the status of journalists, for all they do is bleat out the pap handed to them by the briefing teams run by each party's "communications director") tear into each side alike at eight o clock and twenty past eight every morning.

I know there are some on here who wish to portray the BBC as the organisation Goebbels would have loved to command and others think he is in fact alive and well and puiling the DG's strings but frankly my sole beef with the beeb is that they let the Ed Milliband's of this world have a much freer ride then they deserve.
Yep

Anyone that thinks the BBC is right wing biased needs to look at the work of Andrew Marr the serial toady to Labour politicians in interviews.

But then would we really want a BBC totally purged of all bias? IMHO they've got it at the point where its bias is as low as can reasonably achieved. IE the cost and programme quality loss of further removing bias would be wholly disproportional.

IMHO its biggest bias has been on following government lines on global warming and road safety. But it's still an overall superb broadcaster that makes ITV and Sky raise their standards too.


But then would we really want a BBC totally purged of all bias?

^

No, because the people doing the purging would doubtless be using their own bias to drive it.

Now, the rest of this isn't in response to your post, indeed it would be more correct to aim this at the OP but I wonder what your thoughts are on the following ...


Personally, I don't give a damn if the "political editor" at newsnight chairs a session for the tory, labour, lib dem, plaid, sinn fein or monster raving loony party.

Hell she can dress up in plate mail and sing "tomorrow belongs to me" for Nick Griffin's family get together for all I care, as long as it's out there in the publid domain that she did.

Because that is the point after all isn't it. The OP makes reference to Nick robinson's "allegiance" and yes I agree Andrew Marr is another stunning example.

But who cares ? I'd sooner KNOW they had personal leanings in that direction and filter their words accordingly than have some politburo apparat-chick cover up those leanings and have the state machinery pretend they are neutral
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Steve K
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johnofgwent
Sep 29 2014, 09:31 PM
. . .But who cares ? I'd sooner KNOW they had personal leanings in that direction and filter their words accordingly than have some politburo apparat-chick cover up those leanings and have the state machinery pretend they are neutral
seconded ^

Biggest BBC bias I see is the hideous over exposure of Nigel Farage on South East today just because he's the only party leader based in the SE. Or is that the over exposure of hideous Nigel Farage ;-)



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jeevesnwooster
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C-too
Sep 29 2014, 07:33 PM
What do you think of this one?

The BBC cutting room 'accedentally' cut a tape of the miners strike which then showed the miners throwing stones at the police followed by a police charge. In reality the stone throwing took place AFTER the police charge.




I think pathetic snivelling BBC bosses kissing the boots of whatever government';s in power at the time.

As JOG says, at least if you know someone's bias you can work with what they're saying, that's a good point.
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C-too
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jeevesnwooster
Sep 29 2014, 09:59 PM
C-too
Sep 29 2014, 07:33 PM
What do you think of this one?

The BBC cutting room 'accedentally' cut a tape of the miners strike which then showed the miners throwing stones at the police followed by a police charge. In reality the stone throwing took place AFTER the police charge.
I think pathetic snivelling BBC bosses kissing the boots of whatever government';s in power at the time.

As JOG says, at least if you know someone's bias you can work with what they're saying, that's a good point.
Wouldn't that assume that people actually know there is a bias?
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RJD
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C-too
Sep 29 2014, 12:34 PM
RJD
Sep 29 2014, 07:55 AM
What do they say about the best form of defence? Get your attack in early. This is just another example of Mr Smurf attempting to undermine the news programme by attacking the credentials of participants. There is no proof that this programme is biased, but it is always good to infer it might be.

The BBC is institutionally left wing and in order to obtain some balance it needs to recruit a lot more people into it's organisation that are not of the slappy happy spend someone else's money brigade.
The BBC has always had a Conservative leaning. The number of times they show the headlines in the papers each day says it all.
I do not understand your reasoning, please explain? Are you claiming that because the BBC spends some seconds stating the headlines in Newspapers you dislike then this is proof of their institutionalised right wing agenda? My goodness even the BBC has admitted that it has been too left wing leaning over recent years. That said I would be against any political interference to redress the balance and I am prepared to accept the good sense of Joe Public.
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ACH1967
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But they are saying they have a left wing bias becasue of their right wing bias :)
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papasmurf
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johnofgwent
Sep 29 2014, 09:31 PM



Personally, I don't give a damn if the "political editor" at newsnight chairs a session for the tory, labour, lib dem, plaid, sinn fein or monster raving loony party.

You should when she chaired a debate that was nothing more than a disgraceful propaganda attack on benefit claimants.
It may have backfired though because although reports of it are splattered over the media including the BBC, I suspect none of the actual debate can be transmitted because of "the obnoxious nature of the Conservative audience." quote by a freelance journalist who was there in an email to me. I may be able to reference his report at a later stage. (He hasn't written it yet.)
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jeevesnwooster
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C-too
Sep 30 2014, 07:13 AM
Wouldn't that assume that people actually know there is a bias?
Well I presume this was JOG's point. Most people don't realise the BBC is biased and fully accept the BBC as the Wonderful Perfect Beacon Of Broadcasting Perfection it's painted out to be
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Affa
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jeevesnwooster
Sep 30 2014, 08:08 AM
C-too
Sep 30 2014, 07:13 AM
Wouldn't that assume that people actually know there is a bias?
Well I presume this was JOG's point. Most people don't realise the BBC is biased and fully accept the BBC as the Wonderful Perfect Beacon Of Broadcasting Perfection it's painted out to be


The major influence on my entire approach to political debate is that I assume 'everyone is biased'.
I go further, I also assume I am hearing lies, spin at best, and accept nothing as being the truth.

I look for the spin, identify the lies, and from there determine the motives ........ all of which causes me to despise Politicians, the Press (in general), pundits especially.

It's not all bad, lol .......... I quite enjoy the game, the test, the fun of 'reading between the lines'.

LIKE ........ T May wanting to bring new laws to prevent 'hate' crimes. Laws we all can agree will help, but laws that can be abused and probably will be abused if enacted. - She doesn't mention those risks!




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Tytoalba
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It seems that both Left and right claim that the BBC is biased, so a lot of the allegations must be an expression of our own bias.
Damded if they do and damned if they don't.
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Tytoalba
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Affa
Sep 30 2014, 12:11 PM
jeevesnwooster
Sep 30 2014, 08:08 AM
C-too
Sep 30 2014, 07:13 AM
Wouldn't that assume that people actually know there is a bias?
Well I presume this was JOG's point. Most people don't realise the BBC is biased and fully accept the BBC as the Wonderful Perfect Beacon Of Broadcasting Perfection it's painted out to be


The major influence on my entire approach to political debate is that I assume 'everyone is biased'.
I go further, I also assume I am hearing lies, spin at best, and accept nothing as being the truth.

I look for the spin, identify the lies, and from there determine the motives ........ all of which causes me to despise Politicians, the Press (in general), pundits especially.

It's not all bad, lol .......... I quite enjoy the game, the test, the fun of 'reading between the lines'.

LIKE ........ T May wanting to bring new laws to prevent 'hate' crimes. Laws we all can agree will help, but laws that can be abused and probably will be abused if enacted. - She doesn't mention those risks!




Bias is something Im always aware of when I read your posts Affa, but I try not to let it influence my more ballanced approach to politics. ;D
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Affa
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Tytoalba
Sep 30 2014, 06:47 PM
Bias is something Im always aware of when I read your posts Affa, but I try not to let it influence my more ballanced approach to politics. ;D


Of course you will. I'd expect nothing else.
And by doing so you can then set about contradicting what I actually post, give reasoned argument for doing so, and produce evidence to assert your own prejudice whilst trashing mine ...... can't you?


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