Bone of contention

Today's The World at One on BBC Radio 4  began, as you'd expect, with coverage of the BBC Charter Renewal review. (Naval-gazing is a BBC speciality.)

After a short review of events in parliament came a discussion between the BBC's Martha Kearney and Steve Hewlett of the Guardian/BBC Radio 4's Media Show, which suggested the review wasn't as bad as the BBC and its supporters feared but that there are still issues of concern for the BBC and its supporters. 

Then came a much shorter interview with Peter Bone MP, a BBC critic. It was the 'balancing item' -even though it lasted barely more more than a minute (the shortest interview by far).

Astonishingly, Martha forcefully stopped him in his tracks as as soon as he raised what he described as his "main concern": BBC pro-EU bias. Martha clearly wasn't going there for anything in the world. Realising that, Mr Bone just laughed.

Then came Jesse Norman MP saying that the government's plan is great and the BBC is great. 

Then came Labour-supporting former BBC Trust boss Sir Michael Lyons (not that Martha even hinted at such a thing) attacking the government for going too far but saying that there is a problem with BBC bias: bias against Labour's Jeremy Corbyn. A somewhat-startled-sounding Martha Kearney not only didn't cut him off when he raised it (in contrast to how she treated Peter Bone when he tried to air his concerns about pro-EU BBC bias) but actually went on to press his pro-Labour 'BBC bias' point with Lord Hall. 

And Lord Hall was the big WATO interview today

He didn't agree with Sir Michael about the BBC's anti-Corbyn bias (you won't be surprised to hear), saying that the BBC is impartial (you also won't be surprised to hear) and that the BBC brings "light to controversy".

Lord Hall sounded pleased with what the government has announced. The BBC's Martha (gently) pressed him largely from a pro-BBC, Peter Kosminsky-type standpoint rather than an anti-BBC Andrew Bridgen-type standpoint.

And that was that: Lots of pro-BBC types having their say, plus (very briefly) Peter Bone. 

Meanwhile over on BBC One's News at One bulletin we got more of the same, plus three items on the EU referendum: Mark Carney of the Bank of England's dire warnings of the economic dangers of voting to leave the EU came first. A little later came the Vote Leave/ITV spat over whether Nigel Farage should be involved in a TV debate with David Cameron. And finally, immediately before the sports news (i.e. as the last 'serious' news item), came the news that the ONS has finally conceded that immigration from the EU has been massively under-represented in the government's official figures (not that the short BBC news item put it like that) - a point that many people have been saying might well give a huge boost to the Leave campaign.

So why did BBC One choose to 'bury' that story as a very short new item near the end of its lunch time news bulletin?

Wasn't that Peter Bone's point being proved?