Meanwhile, over on Radio 4's Feedback:
Reading what I do, I know that lots of people in this neck of the internet and elsewhere were appalled at the idea of the BBC expanding its Reality Check function to police and pronounced judgement on social media, so I wondered if Feedback would reflect those concerns.
Not a bit of it.
To summarise what actually happened:
(1) Roger Bolton's introduction described 'fake news' and 'dodgy statistics' (including mention of the £350 million for the NHS figure).
(2) Then two 'concerned' listeners were featured. The first asked for the BBC to "educate people" over the facts. The second asked for the BBC to become "the place of choice to go for people who want to know what is happening in reality", especially when faced by false news on social media.
(3) Then Roger talked to BBC News Editor James Stephenson about the BBC's plan for Reality Check to counter all of the above, and answer those listeners' calls. Mr Stephenson made the case for Reality Check (also mentioning the £350 million figure), and Roger Bolton's questions simply reinforced the BBC man's points rather than challenged him about them.
So that was two Radio 4 listeners, a senior BBC editor and the presenter of Feedback all singing from the same hymn sheet over the need for Reality Check's expanded role and no questioning of it.
Thank God for the internet!
