The sense that the BBC is now throwing caution to the wind over Brexit, impartiality-wise, struck me again with this week's The Bottom Line on Radio 4.
During the EU referendum there was an edition of the programem called EU Referendum. It featured two UK Remain-supporting company chiefs and two UK Leave-supporting company chiefs, along with the head of the Swiss equivalent of the CBI. I remember finding it informative and enjoyable (as The Bottom Line, as a series, usually is).
This week's edition, called Life after Brexit, also featured the head of the Swiss equivalent of the CBI. Its UK business leaders, however, consisted of three Remain-supporting company chiefs and no Leave-supporting company chiefs.
It's gone, therefore. from a 2:2 balance during the referendum to a 3:0 imbalance after the referendum.
Where has all the pre-vote impartiality gone? Completely of the window by the looks of it.
As a result of having three UK company heads who didn't want a Brexit, can you imagine what the programme was like? Yes, it was almost entirely downbeat - something I can illustrate by simply quoting Evan Davis's mid-point 'summing-up':
OK. So we've got the free movement worry; we've got the raw materials worry; we've got the uncertainty worry. Quite a lot of worries.
Wouldn't you have assumed that the programme's makers would have thought themselves duty-bound to invite at least one pro-Brexit business voice onto this post-referendum edition of the programme, even if just for a show of impartiality?
The fact that they didn't even bother to try and cover their bias this week is seriously alarming.
Craig, I'm going to give you a series of words, and you arrange them to form a popular phrase.
ReplyDeleteToys
Pram
Out
The
Thrown
Of
The Beeboids did their numbers game during the campaign, enough to fool most of the media, but thankfully not you. So we can assume they're quite confident that they can get away with this now, because nearly all signs are pointing to a #$%& up and somehow keeping the country in the EU on some level, so (almost) everyone will eventually forget about what they're doing now.
You're right, David. And not just the media. Even politicians like Bill Cash fell for it. The one danger for them is that if they keep up this hysterical level of bias their cockiness might bring them crashing down like never before.
DeleteThe one upside to it (a selfish one) is that they are making my 'job' as a blogger about BBC bias so much easier.
A discussion on Woman's Hour on Tuesday had four remainers (Labour MP Seema Malhotra; BBC regular Helen Lewis of the New Statesman; Alice Someone from the remainer newspaper The Times; Sarah Woollaston Tory MP and public switcher from leave to remain; and one leave campaigner, Andrea Leadsom, MP) http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07h2vfg
ReplyDeleteAnd the personnel selection is just the start of the bias. Doing a Craig Count of proceedings, including who speaks first and last, length of time speaking uninterrupted and frequency and time of interruptions would be instructive.
That sounds like the Woman's Hour we all 'know and love' - except even worse than usual. A 4:1 bias? You've almost tempted me to listen to it :-
DeleteActually, I AM listening to it now. I keep having to press the 'Pause' button though as it's making me too angry. The bias isn't just off the scale. It's beyond the scale and reaching infinity.
DeleteAnd the maddest thing about it is that Jane Garvey still thinks she's impartial, she really does.
#worstbiasever
They have set out some prepared lines of attack in the blurb for tonight's Moral Maze at 10 15pm:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07hgh5f
Time for action. The first leave led government needs to pass immediate legislation requiring election to the bbc management board by all licence fee payers. This is the only way to fast track bbc reform.
ReplyDeleteI very much hope the new PM will be Andrea Leadsom & that she will do what Cameron should have done - SORT OUT THE BBC!
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