Reviewing the press reviewers

It's time to update Is the BBC biased?'s list of the guests BBC Breakfast invites to do its paper reviews on its weekend shows, as there's an extra three-and-a-half months' worth of extra information for you to scrutinise at your leisure:

2013

7/9 Simon Fanshawe, writer

8/9 Ian MacMillan, poet

14/9 David Davies, former FA boss

15/9 Paul Horrocks. former president of the UK Society of Editors

21/9 Cary Cooper, academic

22/9 Kate Williams, historian

28/9 Olly Mann, writer and broadcaster

29/9 Emma B, radio presenter

5/10 Simon Fanshawe, writer

6/10 Ian MacMillan, poet

12/10 Margaret Doyle, Deloitte

13/10 Vicky Beeching, theologian and writer

19/10 Bishop Stephen Lowe, former Bishop of Hulme

20/10 Reverend Richenda Leigh, chaplain, University of Derby

26/10 David Davies, former FA boss

27/10 Juliet Dunlop, journalist and broadcaster

2/11 Simon Fanshawe, writer

3/11 Pete Waterman, music producer

9/11 John Amaechi, psychologist and former basketball player

10/11 Kate Williams, historian

16/11 Paul Horrocks. former president of the UK Society of Editors

17/11 Helen Pidd, Guardian

23/11 Simon Fanshawe, writer

24/11 Ian Collins, broadcaster

30/11 (No review)

1/12 Tessa Dunlop, writer & historian

7/12 Professor Martin Hall, Salford University

8/12 Juliet Dunlop, journalist & broadcaster

14/12 Ian MacMillan, poet and broadcaster

15/12 No review (Mandela)

21/12 Helen Pidd, Guardian

22/12 Pete Waterman, music producer

28/12 Justin Urquhart Stewart, financial commentator

29/12 John Amaechi, psychologist and former basketball player

2014

4/1 Simon Fanshawe, writer

5/1 Juliet Dunlop, journalist & broadcaster

11/1 Reverend Sally Hitchiner, chaplain, Brunel University

12/1 David Davies, former FA boss

18/1 Vicky Beeching, theologian and writer

19/1 The Very Reverend Rogers Govender, Dean of Manchester

25/1 Peter Bradshaw, Guardian

26/1 Dr Carole Mundell, astrophysicist

1/2 Simon Fanshawe, writer

2/2 Ian Collins, radio presenter and political commentator

8/2 Olly Mann, broadcaster and columnist

9/2 Paul Horrocks, former president of the UK Society of Editors

15/2 Justin Urquhart Stewart, financial commentator

16/2 Juliet Dunlop, journalist

22/2 David Davies, former FA boss

23/2 Bishop Stephen Lowe, former Bishop of Hulme

1/3 Simon Fanshawe, writer

2/3 Helen Pidd, Guardian

As before, and for the sake of comparison, here's a list I prepared earlier, so that can can see what's changed - and what hasn't changed - over a longer time-frame:

2011

11 June - David Davies, former FA boss

12 June - Jonathan Oliver, Sunday Times

18 June - Mehdi Hasan, New Statesman

19 June - Chris Adams, FT

25 June - Simon Fanshawe, writer

26 June - Camila Batmanghelidjh, charity leader

2 July - Margaret Doyle, Reuters

3 July - Kevin Maguire, Daily Mirror

9 July - Phil Hall, PR consultant

10 July - Kevin Maguire, Daily Mirror & Vincent Graff, freelance journalist

16 July - Tim Walker, Daily Telegraph 

17 July - Andew Pierce, Daily Mail

23 July - no paper review (because of coverage of the Breivik massacre in Norway)

24 July - Olly Mann, writer

30 July - Simon Fanshawe, writer

31 July - Camila Batmanghelidjh, charity leader

6 August - Margaret Doyle, Reuters

7 August - Kevin Maguire, Daily Mirror 

13 August - Olly Mann, writer

14 August - Vincent Graff, freelance journalist

20 August - Tim Walker, Daily Telegraph 

21 August - Andrew Pierce, Daily Mail

27 August - Peter Bradshaw, Guardian 

28 August - David Davies, former FA boss

3 September - Margaret Doyle, Reuters

4 September - Kevin Maguire, Daily Mirror 

10 September - Simon Fanshawe, writer

11 September - Stryker Mcguire, US journalist

17 September - Olly Mann, writer

18 September - Jonathan Oliver, Sunday Times 

25 September - David Davies, former FA boss

1 October - Vincent Graff, freelance journalist

2 October - Mehdi Hasan, New Statesman

8 October - Simon Fanshawe, writer

9 October - Olly Mann, writer

15 October - Tim Walker, Daily Telegraph

16 October - Michael White, Guardian

I think these lists can tell us a few things about the changes in BBC Breakfast's editorial policy from 2011 to 2014:

(1) That they have made an determined effort to feature more female guests, with the proportion rising from 13.5% in 2011 to 34% in 2013-14.

(2) That they have moved away from using print journalists as reviewers. In 2011, BBC Breakfast invited journalists from The Sunday Times, The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, The Daily Mirror, The Daily Mail, The New Statesman and The FT. By 2013-14, however, there are only a couple of regulars from The Guardian left.

(3) That they have sought out more clerics, broadening out beyond their old staple, Bishop Stephen Lowe, to include lots more reverends, reverends and theologians.

(4) That they've attempted to break away from their old merry-go-round of regular guests by including many new faces among all the cast of regulars, presumably to provide a better balance between the fresh and the familiar. 

The programme's most regular guest is writer and broadcaster Simon Fanshawe, with former FA boss (and ex-BBC man) David Davies coming up behind him in second place.

As regards political bias, the guest-list remains essentially 'safe' and vaguely left-of-centre. The old outright partisans of the Left, Mehdi Hasan and Kevin Maguire, appear to have been dropped for good, though the likes of Simon Fanshawe and Bishop Lowe remain, and the marked dropping away (from 2011 to 2014) of openly right-wing press reviewers seems to have been partially halted by the addition of LBC talk show host Ian Collins.