Saturday 1 August 2020

"It shouldn't be a debate. I don't know why we are debating"


Mac, on the open thread, has spotted a very telling piece on the BBC News website:
Really interesting article from the Wales section: 

Interesting because of what one of the activists says about Black Lives Matter: "It shouldn't be a debate. I don't know why we are debating. But I do believe discussions need to be had with people that don't have the understanding because it's beyond their experience."

Which, I think, makes sense of much of the Beeb's reporting on this (and other issues.) Note how the article itself has a headline about division and then only reports the voices and experiences on one side of that divide. I often wonder if bias is intentional or ignorant. Today I'm leaning towards ignorant. They don't even know there's a debate.
The headline could hardly be more 'BBC': Black Lives Matter: 'Backlash has been divisive like Brexit'. (So, it's not BLM that's 'divisive' apparently, but the 'backlash' against BLM).

And just like the BBC's reporting of Brexit, this report is framed as if all the division is coming from one side. 

I've never previously come across Tyler Edwards, the BBC journalist responsible for this one-sided piece.  Wonder if this is typical?

*******

Update: And, in complement, here's a helpful comment from Arthur T:
The BBC can't help themselves. On the BBC News website Home page is this. They must continue stirring over BLM: 
'Black Lives Matter: 'Backlash has been divisive like Brexit'
By Tyler Edwards BBC News

By comparing BLM with Brexit, this article is clearly inflammatory, playing to the BBC/Guardian audience, and seeking to gain support for anti democratic causes (which are supported by the BBC). 
With a little searching we discover more about the BBC reporter: Tyler Edwards. He is a 'Digital Journalism Apprentice'. He says:
'People have been "shocked", "upset" and "drained" by friends' reactions to Black Lives Matter.' 
Evidently, he works for BBC in Cardiff. I believe this deliberate stirring by the Cardiff based BBC apprentice is irresponsible.
Further update: Here is Tyler tweeting, and exemplifying what former Head of BBC Television News Roger Mosey was talking about when he described the Corporation's "newer, younger recruits who want to make it 'more of a campaigning organisation in which journalists shape the agenda to harmonise with their personal views'": 


The young man, while openly promoting a contentious cause, says straight out that he's "privileged to report on a matter so close to mine and many others' hearts".

Roger Mosey also said of such young, more activist reporters that they find it hard to appreciate their duty to represent both sides of a story, and this report exemplifies that too. 
 
It's the shape of things to come. I'm sure Tyler will go far.

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