The BBC News website is so predictable (for us bias-watchers). Take U.S. politics. If there's a scandal that hits the Republican Party the article will 'remember' to mention the Republican Party. If there's a scandal that hits the Democratic Party, the article will 'forget' to mention the Democratic Party. Today features a classic case of the latter:
NY governor withdraws from racehttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8540049.stm
New York Governor David Paterson has withdrawn from the race for state governor amid a scandal involving one of his aides.
He had announced his campaign formally only last weekend but had faced pressure to quit.
He said he had never abused his office, but was "being realistic about politics".
There had been criticism over how he handled allegations about an aide and domestic abuse.
Explaining his decision, Mr Paterson said: "It hasn't been the latest distraction.... It's been an accumulation of obstacles that have obfuscated me from bringing my message to the public."
Mr Paterson was seeking a full four-year term, having become governor in 2008 when former Gov Eliot Spitzer quit amid a prostitution scandal.
He was sworn in to serve the remainder of Mr Spitzer's term.
He said on Friday he would not quit his post, but continue "fighting for the state of New York".
When he was sworn in in March 2008, Mr Paterson made history as New York's first African-American governor and as the first legally blind person to hold such a post permanently.
What the article 'forgot' to mention is that both Mr Paterson and Mr Spitzer are Democrats. 'Democrat' is not a long word. I'm sure there was space for it.
I like the phrase "first legally blind person".
ReplyDeletePresumebly the Republicans only have illegally blind people.
It's an odd phrase, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteI wonder if you can also be 'legally colour-blind'? Or 'legally tone-deaf'?
If you can be 'illegally tone-deaf', there are a few singers I can think of you might be at risk of prosecution.
I have blogged about this habit of only mentioning the party affiliations of Republicans/Conservatives involved in scandals of any sort. It's blatant, it's deliberate, it's never challenged by the Conservative party. I truly believe that if the Conservatives don't start showing some balls with respect to challenging the BBC's bias BEFORE the general election, the BBC are very likely to swing the general election to Labour.
ReplyDelete