THE BBC REPLIES...

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Well, here's the reply to my complaint to the BBC:

Dear Sir

Thanks for your e-mail.

I was interested to read the findings of your survey. I understand that your calculations have found there to be a bias against Conservative MPs in our broadcasts.

Impartiality is the cornerstone of all our news and current affairs output and we ensure all our correspondents and production teams are aware of this to help us deliver fair and balanced coverage for all the stories we report. We seek neither to denigrate nor promote any particular view, rather we present the relevant facts and allow our audience to make up their own minds based on them.

All BBC interviewers are careful to abide by well-established interviewing guidelines that prescribe a scrupulously even-handed approach.

Many interviewees are very adept at evading questions and following their own agenda when replying. It's part of a professional interviewer's role to ensure that they're reminded, when appropriate, of the original question or pressed on points that are of particular interest.

This being said, it's always difficult to find a presenter who will appeal to all viewers/listeners and the attributes which appeal to some viewers/listeners may sometimes strike others as wholly inappropriate.

I realise you may continue to feel there's a culture of institutional bias within the BBC. Therefore, let me assure you I've registered your comments on our audience log. This is a daily report of audience feedback that's circulated to many BBC staff, including members of the BBC Executive Board, channel controllers and other senior managers.

The audience logs are seen as important documents that can help shape decisions about future programming and content.

All feedback we receive, whether positive or negative, is always appreciated.

Thanks again for taking the time to contact us with your views.

Regards

Stefan
BBC Complaints




Here's an open reply, while I think of my next steps:

Thanks for your reply Stefan. I'm glad you found my results interesting. You are correct in understanding that my calculations have found there to be a bias against Conservative MPs in our broadcasts. (Not just MPs mind you, and they also showed bias against UKIP.)

Your statement about impartiality is as it should be and welcome. When you say that "all BBC interviewers are careful to abide by well-established interviewing guidelines that prescribe a scrupulously even-handed approach", my findings demonstrate that this is sadly not true. Many of them (including Andrew Marr, Carolyn Quinn, James Naughtie, John Humphrys, Adrian Masters, Kirsty Wark, Anita Anand, Glenn Campbell, Shirin Wheeler, Gavin Esler and Jo Coburn) do not.

I know very well that many interviewees try to evade questions and push their own agenda, but that's no revelant here. Nor is the likability of particular interviewers of any relevance to the issue in hand.

When you say that you "realise I may continue to feel there's a culture of institutional bias within the BBC", you are not mistaken!

I'm glad my complaint will be put on the audience log (I think) and might be read more widely. I don't feel, however, that you have answered any of my concerns and will be taking the matter further.

Regards
Craig

UPDATE

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For starters I have re-submitted my complaint with lots more supporting detail. Unfortunately, the BBC's e-mail response refuses to allow you to reply by e-mail, so you have to start all over again! Nor could I attach my full spreadsheet. Just another annoying thing about the biased BBC.