The Commons Public Accounts committee has published its final verdict on the BBC’s failed Digital Media Initiative (DMI), which wasted almost £100m of licence fee money. The project, which was started in 2008 and abandoned last year, was supposed to create the most advanced digital film handling system in the world. But in a devastating attack on the BBC’s conduct, committee chairman …
Bias by Omission…again
John Humphrys, as has been reported here, has pointed out that the BBC has been guilty on a systematic basis of ‘bias by omission’ – that is, ignoring core stories that would ensure audiences are kept in touch with the key facts and developments in controversial areas. This report, by Andrew Montford, of the Bishop Hill site, and published by the Global …
Humphrys: ‘BBC Not Sceptical Enough on EU’
Update: Autonomous Mind has made an invaluable contribution following up John Humphrys’ remarks about EU coverage, reported in full below. The core of his story is that when questioned further on the BBC’s Feedback programme about the problems, Mr Humphrys added to his Radio Times interview by saying categorically that there had been systematic ‘bias by omission’ – essentially by ignoring key stories …
BBC: ‘Has received £20m from the EU’
The Spectator, by good journalistic digging – and persevering with a freedom of information request – has found that the BBC has been boosting its coffers by applying on a regular basis to the EU for grant funds. The article homes in on the huge potential conflict of interest, and points out that Lord Patten, the BBC chairman – the man …
Drowned Out: Balanced BBC Reporting of Climate Change
With predictions that this winter’s run of gales may finally be coming to an end (February 16), the BBC’s ‘climate change’ propaganda deluge has reached a perfect storm level. High prominence on the BBC website is given to Labour leader Ed Miliband’s claim – made in the Observer, part of the corporation’s favourite newspaper stable – that ‘climate change’ is …
Mandelson gets open goal to attack EU Referendum
One interview sequence is rarely definitive proof of BBC bias. But a recent Today feature about the private member’s bill to commit to a referendum about membership of the EU comes very close to it – and it has now become the subject of a complaint to the BBC. The interview sequence in question, broadcast on January 10, also underlines …
Immigration: Anything but the truth.
BBC Political Editor Nick Robinson has announced that the BBC was once – at an unspecified period in the past – biased in its reporting of immigration issues. He is reported as saying (in connection with pre-publicity for a programme he has made) that the corporation made a ‘terrible mistake’ in not reflecting the public’s concerns about the numbers and …
DYKE: ‘BBC should be regulated by OFCOM’
Photo by varresa The vultures are circling increasingly around Lord Patten, who has been savaged – and is still under fire – for his handling of a series of problems, including the Savile inquiry and the House of Commons’ prolonged investigation into excessive pay-offs to senior executives. Latest to join in the attack on the BBC chairman is Greg Dyke, the former …
BBC Trust ‘Failed a Primary Duty’
The Commons public accounts committee has questioned whether the BBC’s governance model is fit for purpose in a damning indictment of its handling of severance payments to 150 senior managers. The committee’s chairman, Margaret Hodge, said its investigations into the pay offs – which included cross-examination of BBC chairman Lord Patten and director general Lord Hall – had uncovered a culture of cronyism …
Liddle: Patten ‘ordered to give EU coverage evidence’
Former BBC R4 Today editor Rod Liddle has noted that speaker John Bercow has ordered BBC Chairman Lord Patten to give evidence to the Commons European Scrutiny Committee about the corporation’s EU coverage. Liddle picked up in his Sunday Times column that Mr Bercow – responding to a question from Labour eurosceptic Kate Hoey – stated: “I must say that anybody who …