David Aaronovitch, the EU and BBC bias

Despite the previous post finding pro-EU bias on this morning's Today programme, it was Friday's edition of the programme that sent pro-EU David Aaronovitch of the 'Times' off on one on today's Dateline London, claiming anti-EU bias. 

David complained that he'd woken up yesterday to hear a debate between a Conservative right-winger and a UKIP supporter without a pro-EU voice being present, and wondered, "Where was the European presence, or anybody to put a contrary view? Nowhere." 

He said it's been like that with the British media since Maastricht and declared himself "absolutely bloody fed up with it".

Unfortunately for him, he was doing that thing that people do when they shout 'Bias!' without having properly checked their facts first.

Had he stayed listening he would have found that the prestigious 8.10 spot was given over to an interview with Patrizio Fiorilli, spokesperson for the EU Budget. 

So let's re-visit David Aaronovitch's questions in that light:

"Where was the European presence?" 

Right there, David.

"Where was the anti-EU presence, or anybody to put a contrary view for Today listeners who'd woken up at 8.10?" 

On an hour earlier. You obviously missed them.

The great irony of David Aaronovitch's outburst is that it took place on Dateline London, a programme where pro-EU voices have been dominant, nay rampant, for years. 

Alongside David here was Die Welt's Thomas Kielinger, another strong pro-EU voice (and one of the programme's most regular guests), today denouncing the UK and defending the EU demands on us. That added up to two strong pro-EU guests on one programme.

There were no anti-EU guests.

Nahlah Ayed of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation cited the FT denouncing the UK government. Jeffrey Kofman of ABC News described David Cameron as sounding like "a kid in an Eton debating society" and said the "positives" of EU membership are getting lost.

And on it went, with barely a murmur of devil's advocacy from Gavin Esler. 

Right then, David. That's another instance of blatant pro-EU bias on Dateline London. Yet again. Where was the anti-EU presence? Where was anybody to put a contrary view? I'm absolutely bloody fed up with it.

*******

The other discussion on today's Dateline dealt with the attack on the Canadian parliament by a Muslim convert and conformed to (BBC) type.

Though Palestinian-Canadian Nahlah Ayed gave a BBC-like 'neutral' account, Jeffrey Kofman of ABC (another Canadian) said that THE threat in Canada comes from the "very conservative" security policies of the Harper government. There was a general consensus among the other gentlemen present that such tough measures would only serve to alienate Canada's Muslims.

And there was no less a consensus that the attack, and the other very recent attacks (in Canada and the U.S.), aren't Islam-related. They are just "disaffected" lone-wolves with mental issues, nothing more. And, for good measure, David Aaronovitch condemned those people who always try to associate such acts with Islam and "Islamic violence".