The Government's plans to tackle voter fraud by introducing a legal requirement for voters to show photographic identification before they are allowed to vote in an election - the 'Voter ID proposal' - are certainly riling some people and exciting others - at least if my social media feeds are anything to go by (which, as ever, they possibly aren't).
For the purposes of this blog, I'll just point out that the BBC News website's two pieces about this (via a 'search') have borne the following headlines respectively: Voting: Could ID checks affect who participates in elections? and Corbyn: Voter ID plans discriminate against ethnic minorities.
Now, the BBC could have borne alternative headlines, such as: Voting: Could ID checks eliminate electoral fraud? and Government: Voter ID plans will increase public confidence in the integrity of our democratic system, but they obviously weren't minded to do such a thing.
Both of these BBC reports - one a BBC-stamped Reality Check - make evident the BBC's belief (as it very much appears to be) that (a) electoral fraud is actually at an almost negligably low level in the UK and that (b), as the proposal's critics say, the racially discriminatory potential of introducing ID checks is clear and will be harmful to social cohesion.
(Note: The BBC's 'Corbyn' report has just one reinforcing sub-headline: 'Marginalised'.)
I'm slightly torn on the issue myself but, from this, I don't think the BBC is. They seem decided on the matter.
Both of these BBC reports - one a BBC-stamped Reality Check - make evident the BBC's belief (as it very much appears to be) that (a) electoral fraud is actually at an almost negligably low level in the UK and that (b), as the proposal's critics say, the racially discriminatory potential of introducing ID checks is clear and will be harmful to social cohesion.
(Note: The BBC's 'Corbyn' report has just one reinforcing sub-headline: 'Marginalised'.)
I'm slightly torn on the issue myself but, from this, I don't think the BBC is. They seem decided on the matter.
