As per Biased BBC and Guest Who, here's the BBC's World Affairs Editor sounding off again (ever so impartially of course):
Update: You'll be relieved to hear that the great man soon came round again, after a dose of the smelling salts perhaps, and was back tweeting in the mere twinkling of an eye:
John Simpson seems to have had a brain transplant. I seem to recall there was a time when he was a somewhat cynical, but often accurate commentator on the affairs of humans on the planet. Yes, I knew he was part of the cosy metropolitan elite, but that didn't seem to affect his judgement too much. But now? Er - what decent folk have been deported on "technicalities". If he means "having no entitlement to reside in the UK" that's hardly a technicality. Daily "hate" in the press? From whom, directed to whom? There's a lot of irrational hatred directed at Brexiters in the columns and comments of the Guardian - I mean real bile. I would say with very rare exceptions, like the surprisingly pro-Brexit and thoughtful Newsnight panel the other day, what the BBC portrays doesn't feel like my country now. BBC Britain is a country dominated by grievance, by misrepresentation (e.g. presenting determined Jihadis as naive Brits), by denial of obvious truths (e.g. the link between mass immigration, population growth and the housing crisis), by a sense of humour failure...BBC Britain is a country fully committed to relativistic multiculturalism, overrepresentation of minorities, transgenderism, and suppression of free speech. None of this accords with how the vast majority of people think and act.
ReplyDeleteThere - I've had a fit of the vapours now.
We Bias Watchers like to spot a new variety of fluffy-feathered partiality...
ReplyDeleteI spotted on Today something we might call "Impressionistic Bias", as in "look, there's no way we can show hordes of Poles are deciding to leave these shores and head back to Poland, and if anything the net migration figures will probably show more Poles heading to the UK but surely we can put together a report that paints a picture, an impressionistic picture with nothing properly defined, to suggest that there is a worrying departure of Poles that will lead to the collapse of the UK economy". Cue said report: voices floating over airport tannoy announcements; liberal use of "many", "concerns", "some say" or similar; allowing one individual's rather bitter comments to stand in for statistics, so implying a brain drain is already under way etc etc. Job done! On to the headlines...a lot going on in the world, so let's focus on the commentators of two people out of the 7 billion people on the planet...who just happen to have come out with some Trumpophobic vitriol.
In my country an unwanted question used to go straight into file 13. In the place I find myself a National Treasure throws a hissy fit on behalf of an academic. The latter fears state retribution in response to the wrong answer.
ReplyDeleteAnother country.
The latter fears that in giving his answer it will prove a rather non impartial look on the world more like.
ReplyDeleteIt happens in my country.
Chris Heaton Harris has every right to ask universities about their syllabus with regard to Brexit, after all what have they got to hide, but it really wasn’t very clever politically. The overreaction by the universities was entirely predictable. Jo Johnson got the full BBC style grilling this morning on Today with all the usual leading questions.
ReplyDeleteWhat has been happening in universities a much broader issue that attitudes to Brexit. But until a Jordan Peterson type figure emerges from within academia on this side of the Atlantic, I don’t think very much will change. I live in hope. But I am afraid letters from Tory MPs will just be ammunition for the enemy.
I wonder if old coggers like Simpson feel they have to keep up a barrage of right-on Twitter nonsense in order to keep-in with the BBC and thereby continue to get paid work?
ReplyDeleteOn reflection, I think I'll answer yes to my own question.
I don't know about Simpson but it is an identifiable trend - oldies clinging on for dear life by expressing modish opinions. Who knew for instance that Tom Jones was so concerned about moral standards in the entertainment industry?
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