*
The BBC News website is, as ever, stuffed with bias.
*
First, there is 'Tough times, tough choices' on school cash, says Balls
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/8602979.stm
*
This article by Sean Coughlan reports on what Ed Balls will say to the NASUWT union, and reviews what Michael Gove and David Laws did say to them. There is a contrast though in the amount of space each is given. The quotations from Ed Balls go on and on and on. The portions devoted to him are spread across 22 paragraphs, whereas Mr Gove gets 4 paragraphs and Mr Laws gets 2.
*
*
Secondly, there is Conservative cancer drug saving disputed by King's Fund http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8603240.stm
*
This makes the criticism the main story rather than the proposals (as did the Today programme of course). The views of the main critic, John Appleby of the King's Fund, are quoted first. Then more criticism, albeit of a less stringent kind, comes from Dr David Jenner. Finally comes Conservative spokesmen Andrew Lansley and George Osborne. All these guys (with the exception of Mr Osborne) were on this morning's Today programme, but only one - Mr Appleby, the most critical of the Conservatives - is granted the honour of having an audio clip from the programme in the article. No audio from Mr Lansley's encounter with John Humprhys appears.
*
*
There was trenchant criticism of the Lib Dems' pie-in-the-sky train proposals on this morning's Today from Prof John Whitelegg: http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_8603000/8603203.stm.
The criticism surprised John Humphrys, by the sound of it. How does the BBC News website report this story? Does it, as with the Conservative proposals of cancer drug funding, present the criticism first and leave the Lib Dem spokesman to the end of the article?
**
The answer is 'no'. Almost all the article, entitled Lib Dems plan rail expansion by cutting road projects, is devoted to faithfully reporting the Lib Dem policy, and at considerable length. Their spokesman Norman Baker is quoted first, and he gets a video clip and a blockquote box on the right hand side too. Lucky him! The criticism is confined to just four paragraphs, three at the very end. The criticism is gently sceptical rather than harsh, and comes from Prof Stephen Glaister of the RAC. Of Prof Whitelegg's demolition job (complete with numbers) on Today there is not a word.
*
*
The story that leads the homepage of the BBC News website is Chancellor - Nat Insurance rise 'will not cost jobs' http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8602988.stm
*
The article (which from its overuse of the word 'Tories' suggests the hand of Norman Smith has lain upon it) features in full Alistair Darling's Today interview and, for good measure, an audio clip of Gordon Brown's podcast. George Osborne and Nick Clegg are limited to just blockquotes. The only outside 'expert' quoted is a Prof Richard Portes from the London Business school, who "is one of four economists who have backed government plans in a letter to the Times newspaper." (I predicted that would happen some time, but that Labour have only been able to get four economists to back them says something about their NI proposals! I also predicted that the BBC would report it.)
*
*
Just one day, just a selection of articles, but bags of Beeb bias.
*
*
UPDATE: I note that Martin on the Biased BBC website spotted these headlines too. That is only to be expected. http://biased-bbc.blogspot.com/2010/04/target-tories.html
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Today's radio 4 was the worst I have heard for years. It was bile spewing vitriol and so unashamedly biased that Lyons, Thompson and their cohorts should hang their heads in shame at destroying what was once a great and trusted institution.
ReplyDeleteI cannot believe that Cameron cannot take them to task and get Thompson and Lyons to take control and stop the bbc militants' actions and clear the decks.
I really think the Conservatives are getting annoyed now, though that anger isn't yet showing itself in one of the places where it should be showing itself - in the studios of the BBC.
ReplyDeleteThe BBC is playing with fire.
People like Jeremy Hunt are still saying nice things about the BBC but there's serious anger out there. I'm surprised at just how unillusioned some well-known Conservatives are about the BBC, if the replies to my e-mails are anything to go by.
If their nightmare comes true and there's no hung parliament (or re-elected Labour government) after all, the BBC might come to really regret indulging such behaviour in its staff. I do hope so.
It's going to be fascinating to see how seriously they try to stick to the strict guidelines on impartiality during the election. For their own sakes, they should try very hard. I don't think it's going to happen though. Not for a minute.
The Economist poll on whether Labour's 13 years was a success or a failure is now finished.
ReplyDelete68% stated it a failure and 32% a success.
Who on earth are the 32% - Martians?