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For a little light reading as Gordon Brown finally makes his reluctant way to Buckingham Palace, here are the BBC's guidelines for the election (thanks to John Horne Tooke on the Biased BBC open thread):
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/assets/files/pdf/consult/election_guidance/election_guidance.pdf
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The essence for the BBC is 'proportionality' (i.e. fair shares) within programmes and across networks over a given week.
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This should mean that we no longer get this kind of 'disproportionality':
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The Today programme's interviews with party elder statesmen:
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Sat 3/4 Charles Kennedy (Lib Dem) - 8.51am - 4 minutes 40 seconds
Mon 5/4 Lord Heseltine (Con) - 8.54am - 5 minutes 55 seconds
Tue 6/4 Lord Kinnock (Lab) - 8.10am - 8 minutes 56 seconds
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Here Labour got much longer than either the Conservatives or the Lib Dems and was given the prestigious, primetime 8.10am spot as well.
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Nothing like that will happen again for the next four weeks, according to the BBC. Happy days! (Now where are my tablets again?)
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Coda: If you fancy a laugh at Gordon Brown's expense (and if you listened to Lord Kinnock on this morning's Today you might well be in need of a laugh), please have a read of this wonderfully funny piece by Iain Martin of The Wall Street Journal (hat-tip to Not a sheep)
http://blogs.wsj.com/iainmartin/2010/04/05/election-exclusive-inside-no-10-as-gordon-brown-prepares-historic-trip-to-palace
Who’s on Question Time Tonight? #BBCQT
9 hours ago
Now the general election has all but been called, your figures become even more important. The question is will the Conservatives do anything about the BBC's bias?
ReplyDeleteA very good question.
ReplyDeleteIf they don't win, they will very likely want to do something about it but, however angry they are about the BBC, obviously won't be in any position to do so (except keep complaining).
If they do win, the fear is thay they might be tempted to let matters drop again (after all, they would have won despite the BBC) and go back to their old policy of wooing the BBC instead.
It's our job to keep them angry, or make them ever angrier. If the BBC behave as disgracefully during this election as we both suspect that shouldn't be too hard.
Wasn't it funny that in a bbc "historical" interview with the Welsh Windbag after his defeat in 1992, he complained that he had done everything right, but the newspapers were against him, but not the television or radio.
ReplyDeleteIlluminating that bbc Labour bias was noticeable by this preening self opinionated bigot even then. A bbc own goal.
I still don't see what the Conservatives have to lose from attacking the BBC or, indeed, boycotting it altogether.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Grant. I just heard Wiliam Haig being roughed up on PM by Eddie Mair on the subject of gay B&B's.
ReplyDelete(Obviously, after three days, a vitally important topic.)
There were several questions all put with sometimes shocking aggression. And all batted back with exasperated civility by Haig.
And the thought occurred to me, why on earth doesn't Haig say, very firmly, "unless you moderate your tone, this interview is over. I won't be spoken to as if I'm the evil representative of an evil party."
I'd be even more pleased if he also said, "Look, we know perfectly well that the BBC/Guardian/Labour tendency are conspiring to keep this story going for far longer than it's worth. The Shadow Home Secretary is not a rampant homophobe but someone trying to find a nuanced way between the rights of two minorities.
We know your game, so let's move on."
Why oh why won't they be brave and just refuse to play by the BBC's rules?
I meant William HAGUE, of course.
ReplyDeletefreddo41
ReplyDeleteYes I agree. If the conservatives continue to give interviews to the BBC, they should meet aggression with polite , but robust replies and expose the BBC bias. Beeboids are pathetic little cowards who will soon back down.