I don't normally do this but I'd like to comment on a comment at Biased-BBC as - unusually - I've heard a lot of Radio 4 today. Plus it will serve as a reflection on what I've heard.
My comments will be in blue.
What a disgraceful display of bias on Radio 4 throughout the day!
07:10 John Laurenson reports from Riace where immigrants are welcome and encouraged to stay.
Maslaha is a new project about Islam and feminism. How does Islam work within the Western ideas of feminism where traditionally religion has been left at the door? Latifa Akay and Shelina Janmohamed discuss. [Agreed.]
Maslaha is a new project about Islam and feminism. How does Islam work within the Western ideas of feminism where traditionally religion has been left at the door? Latifa Akay and Shelina Janmohamed discuss. [Agreed.]
08:10 Sunday Worship – Inside Anger
From the Syrian Orthodox Cathedral in West London. [How is this bias? Syrian Christians are one of the main victims of the Syrian Civil War. What's wrong with broadcasting a service from their community's London cathedral? It was a wonderful service, presented by Martin Palmer, and very informative.]
From the Syrian Orthodox Cathedral in West London. [How is this bias? Syrian Christians are one of the main victims of the Syrian Civil War. What's wrong with broadcasting a service from their community's London cathedral? It was a wonderful service, presented by Martin Palmer, and very informative.]
08:48 A Point of View
Sarah Dunant compares our reaction today to climate change with responses in the seventeenth century to extreme weather. [Most unusually, Sarah Dunant's somewhat confused but interesting piece heavily implied that global warming 'alarmists' (as 'sceptics' tend to call them) are indulging in apocalyptic fantasies, and - well - are being alarmist. She talked about 17th Century extreme weather & climate change, & how moralists back then (like moralists nowadays) blamed humanity for extreme weather. This was hardly the expected bias, was it?].
Sarah Dunant compares our reaction today to climate change with responses in the seventeenth century to extreme weather. [Most unusually, Sarah Dunant's somewhat confused but interesting piece heavily implied that global warming 'alarmists' (as 'sceptics' tend to call them) are indulging in apocalyptic fantasies, and - well - are being alarmist. She talked about 17th Century extreme weather & climate change, & how moralists back then (like moralists nowadays) blamed humanity for extreme weather. This was hardly the expected bias, was it?].
08:58 Tweet of the Day
With Massive curmudgeon and Liebour supporter Bill Oddie [Didn't Bill Oddie stop supporting Liebour/Labour years ago? And what does that have to do with the grey partridge anyhow? How was this bias, other than harmless bias in favour of grey partridges? The bird, BTW, has a strange ratchet-like call.]
With Massive curmudgeon and Liebour supporter Bill Oddie [Didn't Bill Oddie stop supporting Liebour/Labour years ago? And what does that have to do with the grey partridge anyhow? How was this bias, other than harmless bias in favour of grey partridges? The bird, BTW, has a strange ratchet-like call.]
09:00 Broadcasting House
Caroline Wyatt listens to the National Youth Orchestra of Afghanistan. [And a fine feature it was too, showing how - thanks to the West's overthrow of the Taliban - young people are trying to do normal things, like playing in mixed orchestras - and how precarious such freedom is in Taliban-haunted Afghanistan. It could all end horribly, all of a sudden. Not sure where the bias is supposed to be here.]
Caroline Wyatt listens to the National Youth Orchestra of Afghanistan. [And a fine feature it was too, showing how - thanks to the West's overthrow of the Taliban - young people are trying to do normal things, like playing in mixed orchestras - and how precarious such freedom is in Taliban-haunted Afghanistan. It could all end horribly, all of a sudden. Not sure where the bias is supposed to be here.]
11:15 Desert Island Discs
With Dame Claire Bertschinger the woman who inspired Live Aid. [And what on earth is wrong with that? Millions of people giving their money of their own free will to a charitable cause strikes me as a noble thing, and better than having the state take that money out of our pockets and spend it for us,].
With Dame Claire Bertschinger the woman who inspired Live Aid. [And what on earth is wrong with that? Millions of people giving their money of their own free will to a charitable cause strikes me as a noble thing, and better than having the state take that money out of our pockets and spend it for us,].
12:32 The Food Program – Micro Bakeries
How on earth they managed to find what must be the only black guy in the UK running one leaves me gobsmacked. [Oh dear, a black guy - who has left the world of benefits behind and gone self-employed. Biased broadcasting? Or inspiring? He was one of four micro-bakers. We also heard from a successful City businessman, a 'Daily Telegraph' cookery writer and an enterprising youngster from a troubled background. An advert for capitalism at its best, even though there was a bit of 'alternative'/'sustainable' lifestyle stuff too.]
How on earth they managed to find what must be the only black guy in the UK running one leaves me gobsmacked. [Oh dear, a black guy - who has left the world of benefits behind and gone self-employed. Biased broadcasting? Or inspiring? He was one of four micro-bakers. We also heard from a successful City businessman, a 'Daily Telegraph' cookery writer and an enterprising youngster from a troubled background. An advert for capitalism at its best, even though there was a bit of 'alternative'/'sustainable' lifestyle stuff too.]
15:00 Sunday Drama – The Prince
Based on Machiavelli’s book, with frequent swipes at the Tories and Lib Dems. [True, there was a particularly vicious dig at Mrs Thatcher, but there were frequent swipes at Labour too (and not just Tony Blair, also - twice - Gordon Brown.]
Based on Machiavelli’s book, with frequent swipes at the Tories and Lib Dems. [True, there was a particularly vicious dig at Mrs Thatcher, but there were frequent swipes at Labour too (and not just Tony Blair, also - twice - Gordon Brown.]
16:30 Poetry Idol – Middle Eastern poetry
Shahidha Bari travels to Abu Dhabi to join the audience of ‘Million’s Poet’, a massive televised competition to find the best poet in the Middle East. [Arab poetry? Well, yes, that is very BBC-ish.]
Shahidha Bari travels to Abu Dhabi to join the audience of ‘Million’s Poet’, a massive televised competition to find the best poet in the Middle East. [Arab poetry? Well, yes, that is very BBC-ish.]
17:00 Gay Rights – Tying the knot
Reverend Richard Coles looks at how gay marriage became the defining issue of recent years – and asks whether it represents the last… With lots of use of the latest bully phrase ‘marriage equality’ [Well, yes, Rev. Richard Coles's general position was hardly hidden here [to put it mildly] & all of his guests shared his general outlook. Most of his talking heads were gay rights' campaigners and left-wingers. [The one exception was Alan Duncan MP]. Biased? Very. But interesting though.]
Reverend Richard Coles looks at how gay marriage became the defining issue of recent years – and asks whether it represents the last… With lots of use of the latest bully phrase ‘marriage equality’ [Well, yes, Rev. Richard Coles's general position was hardly hidden here [to put it mildly] & all of his guests shared his general outlook. Most of his talking heads were gay rights' campaigners and left-wingers. [The one exception was Alan Duncan MP]. Biased? Very. But interesting though.]
17:40 Profile – Matteo Renzi
Edward Stourton profiles Matteo Renzi, the new Italian prime minister. He asks if this former boy scout – nicknamed ‘demolition man’ for his desire to smash the political establishment – can turn around Italy’s fortunes. Another left wing liberal who has Tony BLiar as his model. [I was pleasantly surprised by this. It featured commentators from various political positions, and presented various pluses and minuses about Mr Renzi. The Tony BLiar/Blair comparison was viewed favourably by some, unfavourably by others, and the undemocratic, coup-like character of his rise to power wasn't underplayed. Surprisingly unbiased, I'd say.]
Edward Stourton profiles Matteo Renzi, the new Italian prime minister. He asks if this former boy scout – nicknamed ‘demolition man’ for his desire to smash the political establishment – can turn around Italy’s fortunes. Another left wing liberal who has Tony BLiar as his model. [I was pleasantly surprised by this. It featured commentators from various political positions, and presented various pluses and minuses about Mr Renzi. The Tony BLiar/Blair comparison was viewed favourably by some, unfavourably by others, and the undemocratic, coup-like character of his rise to power wasn't underplayed. Surprisingly unbiased, I'd say.]
All interspersed with the usually biased news output.
If any one of the bBC apologists who frequent these pages can explain how this isn’t liberal bias then I’d like to hear the explanation – I could do with a laugh. [Couldn't we all!].
I don’t think there can be any doubt what so ever over the bBCs liberal left bias – it’s blatantly obvious.
I’m not sure whether you, or anyone who contributes to this blog, has done this before, but I think it would be interesting to see what you thought a good, non-biased, day of BBC broadcasting might look like. Apologies if you have (please send a link). I know what I want to see less of – I was just wondering what you would like to see more of. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThanks AdrianD, that's a great idea for a post. Watch this space.
DeleteSo, let's see:
ReplyDeleteWelcome immigrants in Riace.
The Syrian Orthodox Cathedral.
Climate change.
A former Labour supporter.
An orchestra from Afghanistan.
Dame Claire Bertschinger, the woman who inspired Live Aid.
A black guy.
A “particularly vicious dig at Mrs Thatcher”.
Arab poetry.
Gay marriage.
Edward Stourton profiles Matteo Renzi.
I have no problem with the last one or, for that matter, any of the issues individually. It's when you see them all together, in one programme, that a pattern starts to emerge.
Sorry, but I don't like the pattern.
The first fifteen minutes of the Syrian Orthodox Service were powerful in my opinion...the call to prayer/extemporising of Christian song at the end of communion was stunning to me...as was the songs in Arabic and Aramaic( unfortunately blabbed over in translation).
ReplyDeleteAnd at least the persecution of Christians in todays "Holy Land" post Arab-Spring did get a mention...grateful for very small mercies these days.
I have listened for years now and cannot believe how I missed the blatant feminist bias that pervades almost every hour of Radio 4. Women's Hour is now practically 24 per day!
ReplyDeleteIt gets more extreme every week. Each programme is angled towards women wherever possible, with a totally biased slant on whatever issue concerned. The majority of presenters and guests are women. We have plays and comedies all angled around women. Men are frequently put down. It is astonishing no-one seems to have realised this.
ReplyDeleteAm so frustrated and annoyed that R4 has been hijacked by feminazis. Imagine how I feel when realise this permeates the BBC's entire output!
ReplyDelete