The killing last August of a well-liked Polish man, ‘Arek’ Jóźwik, after a late night fracas in a pizza parlour in Harlow sent the BBC newsgathering operation into overdrive. It was the end of the silly season and only ten weeks after the referendum. The BBC, of course, was then, as now, hell-bent on finding and giving maximum exposure to …
New boss Clementi faces uphill struggle against liberal bias
How totally hostile can the BBC’s coverage of the Trump presidency and Brexit actually become? Recent evidence suggests that the race to the bottom is well and truly on. Exhibit A is the weight it gave on Tuesday morning to Kenneth Clarke’s utterly preposterous (and chilling) claim that the referendum vote is a reflection of the ‘tyranny of the majority.’ …
Does Fairhead departure presage May action against BBC bias?
The abrupt and unexpected departure of Rona Fairhead from her post as BBC Chairman is interesting indeed. David Cameron had appointed her Chairman for the first, crucial phase of the new Charter covering the abolition of the Trustees and their replacement by a souped-up executive board – but suddenly, seemingly as a result of intervention by Theresa May, she’s toast. …
Charter Renewal Review Fails to Tackle BBC Bias
Former deputy governor of the Bank of England Sir David Clementi’s review of BBC governance as part of BBC Charter renewal looks impressive at first glance – but he has badly misunderstood what is required. What he proposes will leave the Corporation entrenched at the heart of the broadcasting establishment and almost impervious to real change; even worse, the proposals …
Commons media select committee misses the elephant in the room
The Commons Culture, Media and Sport select committee has spent six months considering reform of the BBC in connection with the imminent renewal of its Royal Charter. Its report – published last week with little fanfare – contains some half-decent proposals, such as abolishing the current Trustees and replacing them with a regulatory Board with real teeth, including checks on …
Are BBC procedures for measuring impartiality fit for purpose?
David Cameron is gearing up this week for another attempt at telling us that leaving the EU will be disastrous for the UK and to outline more of his ‘renegotiations’. Meanwhile, under far less media scrutiny, the House of Lords has been debating much more crucial work: whether special steps should be taken to ensure that the BBC is impartial …
News-watch calls for scrapping of ‘biased’ BBC complaints system
News-watch has told culture minister John Whittingdale’s review of the BBC that the current BBC complaints system is not fit for purpose. The 10,000 word submission argues that it should be replaced by scrutiny through a completely independent body. It provides comprehensive evidence – from News-watch’s own experience of submitting complaints – that the Trustees, who police BBC impartiality and …
BBC Reform? Don’t Hold Your Breath
Is the government planning radical reform the BBC? Don’t hold your breath. Despite a bit of high-profile sabre-rattling, and intensifying speculation in the press based on ‘government leaks’ that this is on the cards, the answer is probably a huge resounding ‘no’. Figures close to new culture secretary John Wittingdale have clearly been the source of the recent rumours about …
New BBC Trustees Fail Independence Test
While the BBC agitates with all its sinews to prevent those it loathes from being elected at the General Election, two new Corporation Trustees have been appointed. Will that change anything at the Biased Broadcasting Corporation? Do not hold your breath. Most go native the moment they are appointed, as chairman Rona Fairhead has repeatedly shown. This is what one …
Kathy Gyngell: In the BBC’s Alice in Wonderland world, criticism by MPs compromises its impartiality
Biased Today, biased yesterday and biased tomorrow, the BBC has much to answer for over its uncritical and inadequate EU coverage. More than any other news outlet the BBC shapes and moulds public opinion. Over the years, it has inspired an unwarranted public confidence in the EU. It has been responsible for conveying a sense of the inevitability and necessity of British membership Had it …