News-watch has completed preliminary research on 40 editions of Newsnight between January 13 and March 11 based on the full transcription and analysis of the relevant parts of each programme. Daily news and current affairs programmes such as Newsnight are not required to be balanced within each edition, but it would be expected that over a two-month period, the handling …
Bridgen putdown underlines rot at heart of BBC complaints process
As the crucial referendum vote looms, how DO you complain about the BBC? The reality is that the Corporation is its own judge and jury in dealing with complaints and has neatly-honed putdowns for almost every eventuality. The odds are particularly stacked in the EU debate, as the News-watch submission to the DCMS consultation on BBC Charter renewal outlines. In …
BBC referendum coverage flunks early impartiality test
At the heart of David Cameron’s renegotiation claim is something deeply contentious and what many believe to be a bare-faced lie: that he has secured for Britain an unqualified opt-out from the ‘ever closure union’ ratchet clause in the treaties that underpins and drives the EU project. The BBC – as the UK’s main public service broadcaster – ought to …
Ofcom: Europhile content board head Bill Emmott ‘will not rule on EU issues’
This is a guest posting from Craig Byers of the Is the BBC Biased? website. Further to an earlier post… Newswatch‘s David Keighley has received a statement from Ofcom in response to his post about the appointment of Bill Emmott, the ultra-pro-EU co-creator of the biased BBC mockumentary The Great European Disaster Movie, as Chair of Ofcom’s Content Board, …
BBC anti-Brexit rhetoric continues with alleged lies over ‘Norway option’
Anti-Brexit group Britain Stronger in Europe has started its propaganda push with a £1.5m leaflet drop. It focuses – with hackneyed predictability – on threats that outside the Single Market, three million UK jobs will be at risk. News-watch research shows that for years, BBC presenters and reporters have been allowing Europhiles to get away with these totally unfounded claims …
Ofcom appointment ‘threatens fair coverage of EU referendum debate’
Opinion polls at the weekend gave the EU ‘out’ camp the edge. But it has now emerged that supporters of Brexit will be fighting the battle to win hearts and minds as the EU referendum approaches with their arms tied behind their backs. That’s because new developments at the BBC and the independent sector regulatory body Ofcom mean that complaints …
News-watch submission to the BBC’s EU Consultation on EU Referendum Editorial Guidelines 15.1.2016
The BBC Trust recently embarked on an eight-week consultation on draft Editorial Guidelines for its coverage of the EU in/out referendum. This is News-watch’s submission. The proposed guidelines are here. Preamble News-watch has been monitoring the BBC’s EU-related output for 16 years. Detailed research based on systematic analysis of relevant BBC programming using established academic principles has shown that …
Craig Byers: BBC comedy, the EU and BBC bias
This week’s Feedback featured a clip from the first episode of the 47th series of Radio 4’s eternally somewhat-less-than-side-splitting Now Show – a comedic ‘team rant’ in favour of the EU and against critics of the EU. Unlike the recent ‘rants’ from Andrew Neil and Emily Maitlis, this particular rant was absolutely nothing new. And I’m not just talking about the …
Kathy Gyngell: How would the BBC cope if it didn’t have Hezza to fuel Tory Europe splits?
The BBC’s approach to EU coverage is pretty much on the lines of a word association game. EU – Conservative Party – split – europhiles – Michael Heseltine – Ken Clarke – reasonable – superior – prime time. Eurosceptics – extreme – xenophobic – inferior – marginalise – diss – interrupt. Labour – unified – no story – splits – never – Tony …