BBC Right Wing Bias?
I mentioned some time ago that there was a feeling in the media that the BBC was slipping to the right. You'd never guess this if you visit the BBC Messageboards which most of the time are flypaper for right-wingers, forever moaning about perceived left wing bias in the same way that Huddersfield Town supporters constantly bang on about lack of success since the 1920's. When you aren't getting your own way you make more noise than when you are.
Well a few weeks ago Rod Liddle wrote in his Sunday Times column that there had been a considerable shift in political bias across the UK media and that now only The Guardian could call itself truly left wing. He went on to say that both the BBC and the Independent who had been perennially accused of being left-wing had shifted. I visited the Conservative Party site last week and even they now use the expression 'centre-right' in their own propaganda as a sign that they recognise the huge political change that has been taking place whilst people still bang on about left and right as if we were dealing with Ted Heath and Harold Wilson. As Gavin so rightly pointed out a month or so ago his politics and mine are similar, despite the fact that we approach the political checkout from different ends of the supermarket.
Anyway Johann Hari has today written an article on the online edition of the Independent where he illustrates how many of the faces of the BBC are essentially right of centre. Okay, you can argue that this isn't an illustration of editorial policy but I can't believe that somebody with the experience of John Humphreys would voice too many opinions that were contrary to his own.
You can read Johann's article here
6 comments:
This is interesting, Paul. Johann Hari is, as we all know, somewhat to the left of centre and he says the BBC is right wing. All the right wing pillocks on the message board constantly accuse the BBC of left wing bias. My daughter says the BBC are pro-Israeli but we all know how posters on the World News message board feel about the BBC and the Middle East.
Personally, I think the BBC are basically reasonably unbiased but now again they come in for criticism from people who feel that the bee in their bonnet has been disturbed, if you know what I mean.
I agree Shy. The point is that when people say the BBC is biased they are referring to its editorial policy, yet when you look at some of the people who either present or have a public face they aren't left at all. I think a lot of the anti-BBC feeling on the MB's comes about because of the MB's themselves. The fact that the moderation is outsourced to a company that clearly has its own agenda causes a lot of ill feeling.
Funny what your daughter says because I have a colleague who also believes that the BBC is pro-Israel.
Absolutely and as I think I said, you think you're a socialist, I think I'm an anarcho-capitalist.
But for the majority of people,it's all about labels. The trouble with the Conservative label is that as students we were all indoctrinated that such stuff was evil. (However I grant you there are some complete and utter tits in the Conservative party.) But if you set out some policy ideas, principles, theories etc WITHOUT attaching a label, EVERYBODY agrees with you almost without exception.
We must uncouple ourselves from the flocking to party colours and actually vote on ideas, not what we perceive as the RIGHT image for ourselves.
That's utterly brilliant Gavin and it's also why people have trouble crossing the line when it comes to party politics, people fear that what is a 'good idea' might also be a betrayal of how they think they should vote.
"But if you set out some policy ideas, principles, theories etc WITHOUT attaching a label, EVERYBODY agrees with you almost without exception." I think this happens and has always happened at local level; the problems arise in national elections as has been proved with the die-hard Labour hoards not voting and the hard-core 30% Conservative vote turning out but sufficient middle-England voters happy with Blair/Brown.
...delay in second post, just shot off to baord only to be told there's a 90 minute delay!
Re BBC Bias isn't it the news reporting side of things that people are on about and not the various programme hosts/guests?
I don't think R5L MB's are a good example to quote about anything as the every nature of it attracts more agenda-trumpeters than 'normal' debatees.
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