tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3272054900018746845.post3315726166096695815..comments2024-01-01T17:21:52.555+00:00Comments on Is the BBC biased?: Take your pickCraighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08741318067991857821noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3272054900018746845.post-4158463794878043032014-08-31T22:20:29.248+01:002014-08-31T22:20:29.248+01:00I'm sorry I missed it. And you're right th...I'm sorry I missed it. And you're right that I'm pleased. I had noticed Mardell's silence on the website since July, but assumed it was another of his lengthy vacations, or he was off making another biased documentary. I might almost have to try and track down Sopel's reports now, just to see how he's doing. He's not as extreme Left as Mardell or as bigoted and mean-spirited as Webb, or as biased and irritating as Frei, so hope springs eternal. He's been pretty fair and not blatantly partisan, albeit with a tendency to get shrill when he's worked up, when I've seen him on the News Channel.<br /><br />We always knew the BBC would look fondly on Mardell's work in the US, and that his record of demonizing the Tea Party and firm commitment to the cause of declaring all opposition to The Obamessiah's policies as being personal attacks, often driven by crypto-racism, would get him promoted. This isn't as good as Webb's elevation to Today, but it's still a promotion for dishonesty and infusing ideology into journalism. Does he have the personality to pull this off, though?<br /><br />Still, this can only be an improvement in BBC reporting on the US, unintentional as it may be.David Preisernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3272054900018746845.post-47154114586947319862014-08-31T21:52:37.851+01:002014-08-31T21:52:37.851+01:00I posted a little something about this back in Apr...I posted a little something about this back in April.<br /><br />http://isthebbcbiased.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/breaking-bbc-news.html<br /><br />My post at the time ran as follows:<br /><br />Thanks to breaking news from the Gruadian, Twitter is ablaze tonight with news about the latest changes at the BBC.<br /><br />As Sue and myself have our ultra-trendy fingertips ever poised upon on the racing pulse of modern social media, here are our latest twitterings on who's in and who's out at the Beeeeeb...<br /><br />Oh good, Mark Mardell has been dropped as the BBC's North America editor, #greatnews and #ohdavidpreiser(usa)will be pleased. <br /><br />Oh no though, Mark Mardell is going to become the presenter of Radio 4's The World This Weekend instead, #morebiasontheway and #thatstheworldthisweekenddownthecrapperthen. <br /><br />What's become of poor Shaun Ley? #thisisshaunley,bbcnews,ulanbator?<br /><br />Mark Mardell is to be replaced by Jon Sopel, #wtf? and #hic! <br /><br />Plus...Gavin Hewitt has been bumped as Europe editor, #shrug.<br /><br />...and he's been replaced by Katya Adler, #wellatleastshesbetterlooking, #everydaysexism.<br /><br />Katya used to tread the BBC beat in the Middle East with all the impeccable impartiality we expect from the BBC, #extremelyheavysarcasm. Craighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08741318067991857821noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3272054900018746845.post-37603313052747796072014-08-31T21:15:08.731+01:002014-08-31T21:15:08.731+01:00Off topic, but nowhere else to put it: Mardell is ...Off topic, but nowhere else to put it: Mardell is out, and Jon Sopel in as BBC North America editor?<br /><br />http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-echochambers-28977365<br /><br />When did this happen? Nothing on Mardell's blog. Sopel's Twitter feed seems to indicate it happened at the end of July. A vast improvement, surely. But I wonder if Sopel will feel this is a demotion? Now I see Mardell has been promoted to presenter on Radio 4 TWATO. Good riddance. Oh, dear, he even admits that part of the job is "helping define...the British political conversation".<br /><br />http://radiotoday.co.uk/2014/04/mark-mardell-to-host-the-world-on-radio-4/<br /><br />Any defender of the indefensible who claims the Beeboids don't have an agenda and don't try to influence the public is a liar.David Preisernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3272054900018746845.post-14939196330585407742014-08-31T19:24:35.545+01:002014-08-31T19:24:35.545+01:00Might find this of interest - ex cllr Fairhead
h...Might find this of interest - ex cllr Fairhead <br /><br />http://fromthehornetsnest.blogspot.co.uk/2010/11/going-underground-splits-councillors_17.htmlAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3272054900018746845.post-64839022930380970142014-08-31T14:38:18.600+01:002014-08-31T14:38:18.600+01:00It had to be a woman, nobody denies that, so it ap...It had to be a woman, nobody denies that, so it appears they decided to get one who has the appearance of sound business and finance credentials. You'll be expected to think no further than the fact that the BBC has a financial problem, and who better to sort it out than someone with this background. Whether or not her achievements are due largely to tokenism or cronyism or ability remains to be seen. But none of this is evidence that the new Chair will do anything to clean up the cesspit, which is more important than streamlining spending. The ideological and twisted moral sickness within the BBC is what causes the incidents that get all the complaints, which in turn is what ultimately turns people against the license fee. Will the ironically-named Fairhead be able or even be willing to touch the real problems?David Preisernoreply@blogger.com