What's going on?

Do people who spend too much time watching BBC bias develop unusual yet uncanny senses, like long-eared bats? Or do they just become batty? 

Please see what you think here. 

I've just clicked on the BBC News website and spotted that its third story is Wigan's Whelan in anti-Semitism row. 

The story is that Wigan F.C. owner Dave Whelan, defending newly-appointed manager Malky Mackay over his "racist, sexist and homophobic" texts (in the BBC's words), told the BBC's favourite newspaper that "Jewish people chase money more than everybody else" - which is about as blatant and extraordinary an anti-Semitic statement as you can get. 

My initial thought was that it was wonderful that the BBC was spotlighting this story but, being a long-term BBC watcher, I then quickly began wondering why. Was it just a case of the BBC doing the decent thing? After all, they don't usually bother with stories of present-day anti-Semitism, so why would they be reporting this story so prominently, especially when no other UK media organisation, other than the Guardian, is presently doing so? 

What's going on?

Now, I'm woefully uninformed about football matters these days so I know little about Dave Whelan, but my immediate instinct was to type "Dave Whelan Labour", "Dave Whelan Tory" and "Dave Whelan UKIP" into Google Search two see if Mr Whelan was (or wasn't) political. (I always suspect a political motive where the BBC is concerned.)

It turns out that Dave Whelan is a Tory donor (£1 million at least).

I kind of knew that would be the case if the BBC was reporting it so prominently (or that he would be a UKIP donor) and, similarly, I kind of suspected that it wouldn't be the case were Mr Whelan a Labour donor, or a Muslim.

Is this, as my cynical instincts tonight tell me, a case of the BBC leaping first into the frame (for once) to report a present-day case of anti-Semitism only because the culprit is a high-profile Conservative Part donor?

Are they really that biased? Or am I batty?

Update 23.36: Sky News are now reporting this.

*****

That said, one of my least favourite Labour MPs, Emily Thornberry, got into some trouble today for Tweeting/jeering at white-van-driving English patriots in Rochester.

As I discovered through checking out the veracity of comments at Biased BBC [as is my way] that the BBC, unlike other UK media outlets (including, surprisingly, the Guardian), was failing to report the growing row on its website [and, yes, it really was at the time]....

...until tonight, when Ms Thornberry resigned. That story now leads the BBC News website, as it does the Sky News website, Telegraph website, ITV News website and Guardian website.

The BBC has caught up.

Is that really a case of "That said"? Or merely a case of the BBC being forced to report a story it had so far (for some reason) failed to report? #rhetoricalquestions? 

For the record, here's a cut-and-paste job on the BBC News website and Sky News website for you to compare and contrast (below the 'Read more' fold...oh, it's a while since me and Sue have used that!)..


From Sky News:

MP Quits Shadow Cabinet Over Rochester Tweet

Shadow attorney general Emily Thornberry has resigned from the shadow cabinet after posting a "snobbish" tweet of Rochester.

The MP for Islington South and Finsbury in London had posted a picture of a house draped with three England flags with a white van parked in the drive, and the caption "Image from Rochester".

The photo was taken during a by-election visit to Rochester and Strood in Kent - and the tweet sparked controversy on Twitter.

After the social media backlash, the senior Labour politician apologised after being given a dressing-down by party leader Ed Miliband.

Labour later announced that she had resigned as shadow attorney general.

In a statement released by the party, Ms Thornberry said: "Earlier today I sent a tweet which has caused offence to some people.

"That was never my intention and I have apologised.

"However I will not let anything distract from Labour's chance to win the coming general election.

"I have therefore tonight told Ed Miliband I will resign from the shadow cabinet."

Ms Thornberry's initial posting sparked a storm, with one person tweeting: "How out of touch are you? And you wonder why no one wants to vote for you and your vacuum-packed lefty snobs."

Another wrote: "Somebody flies England flags and drives a van? And Labour wonder why the working class are deserting them en-masse..."

A third said: "And? Thanks for the reminder of why no working man should ever vote Labour."

In a message to Ms Thornberry, Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said: "We should have pride in flying the Cross of St George - don't knock the national flag of England."

And UKIP leader Nigel Farage - who is hoping to gain his second elected MP in the Kent constituency - asked: "What is Labour's Emily Thornberry trying to imply about Rochester and Strood? I suspect she's let Miliband's mask slip."

Labour revealed that Ms Thornberry had spoken to Mr Miliband a second time following her initial apology.

A party source said: "Ed and Emily had a second conversation. She thought the right thing to do was to resign. Ed agreed."

Ms Thornberry, 54, entered Parliament as MP for Islington South and Finsbury in 2005 and served as shadow energy and health spokeswoman before taking the role of shadow attorney general in 2011.

The daughter of a former assistant secretary general of the United Nations, she was born in Surrey and was called to the bar in 1983, specialising in criminal law.

From BBC News:

Labour's Emily Thornberry quits over tweet

Labour's Emily Thornberry has resigned from the Labour front bench over a tweet she sent during the Rochester and Strood by-election campaign.

The shadow attorney general previously apologised for the tweet, which showed a terraced house with three England flags, and a white van parked outside.

Alongside the picture, she wrote: "Image from Rochester".

She said she had not meant to cause offence, but Labour backbencher John Mann accused her of "snobbery".

Polls have closed in the by-election, which was triggered when Conservative MP Mark Reckless defected to the UK Independence Party and resigned his seat to seek re-election for UKIP.

'Respecting voters'

BBC political correspondent Ross Hawkins said the problem was that the tweet suggested Ms Thornberry, the MP for Islington South and Finsbury, thought the house and flags were "something to be sneered at".

He added: "It is not the sort of news that you need to have on a polling day, in a by-election, when you're trying to fight back against some pretty tough press."

Ms Thornberry is believed to have had two conversations with Labour leader Ed Miliband since posting the tweet.

A Labour source said in the second conversation she said she thought the right thing to do was to resign and Mr Miliband agreed.

In a statement released by the Labour Party, Ms Thornberry said: "Earlier today I sent a tweet which has caused offence to some people.

"That was never my intention and I have apologised.

"However I will not let anything distract from Labour's chance to win the coming general election.

"I have therefore tonight told Ed Miliband I will resign from the shadow cabinet."

Earlier, UKIP leader Nigel Farage tweeted: "What is Labour's Emily Thornberry trying to imply about Rochester and Strood? I suspect she's let Miliband's mask slip."

Conservative Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said: "We should have pride in flying the Cross of St George - don't knock the national flag of England."

Before the announcement of her resignation, Labour's Chris Bryant told the BBC: "The first rule of politics is respect the voters, this clearly failed on every level."

Mr Mann said it was "out of touch" and "embarrassing".