Independent-minded

Sometimes a newspaper's commentariat really surprises you. 

There's an article in the Independent about being the BBC being "deluged with complaints that its coverage of the elections was biased in favour of Ukip."

The 1,190 complaints logged by the BBC are thought to be the most the broadcaster has ever received about its coverage of elections.

A further 149 complainants accused the BBC of being unfairly anti-Ukip, while 73 said the coverage was biased against Labour.

There are ten comments beneath this article at the moment. Given that it's the Independent, a left-liberal newspaper, what kind of things would you expect them to say? 

Well, here's what they did say!:

DavidAScottUK 17 hours ago

My hunch is these complaints have been organised by the Labour Party.

tauntonmishap 

Mine too.

Ileftindisgustattheleftyswine 

Mine three.

Kevin T 16 hours ago

I think every single BBC interview, and indeed every TV interview with a UKIP politician could be summed up as "Are you racists?" If that is preferential bias in the eyes of Labour supporters, I suggest BBC interviewers ask that of every Labour politician from now on.

Maybe if Labour had bothered coming up with some policies related in any way to the European elections, they might have got more coverage themselves. It struck me that they were trying desperately not to let their white working class voters know they worship the EU. 

Ileftindisgustattheleftyswine 14 hours ago

There was merely a reduction in the bile and vitriol the BBC has poured on the head of UKIP over the years - they sense it is a coming power, and they fear it. They are right to do so.

It will not tolerate a guardianesque BBC any longer when it gains influence.

The BBC is a peddler of orthodox left wing bias. That needs to stop. Or it will stop one day, and that would be a great shame for those of us who loathe its political bias, but admire its cultural depth and breadth.

Alan_Honiton 17 hours ago

Complaints for bias in favour of UKIP, complaints for bias against UKIP, complaints for bias against Labour?. No complaints of bias, for or against the Tories (especially the Tories) or Lib-Dems (the ones in Government)? Amazing! That must be a first for the BBC. Methinks these people do protest too much!

Salthepal 4 hours ago

I had expected 'BBC swamped with complaints about UKIP bias' to be all about bias against UKIP. In fact, it was the reverse. However, the figures are roughly two complaints about bias for UKIP for every one complaint about bias against UKIP. Since UKIP got about a quarter of the votes cast, the way the complaints panned out seems about what one might expect. The bias of the audiences to Question Time and Any Questions is another matter altogether. Woe betide any panelist who does not express liberal-minded views.

Alan Davie 5 hours ago

Question Time should be renamed as Ambush Time. Select audiences.

Tom Snood 4 hours ago

and the BBC picks the questions, controls the national agenda. It is the biggest hindrance possible to democracy in this country 

Tom Snood 4 hours ago

Did all these honest decent campaigners against media bias complain when the BBC was deliberately excluding ukip? They're losing and they're whinging!