A new directive issued by corporation executives forces the editors of flagship news programmes to give airtime to minority parties, including the BNP, immediately after the live debate between Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg."Proper reporting" of the debates means what exactly in BBC-parlance? Objective or, as is too often the case with BBC reporting of political news, subjective dependent on the bias of the personal reporter in question?
Insiders have revealed they are deeply unhappy and believe that the edict – overseen by the BBC's deputy director general and head of journalism Mark Byford – could wreck proper reporting of the debates.
One source said: "We're all spitting feathers here. This is further proof that the BBC's obsession with 'compliance' is destroying its news coverage and journalism.Why should interviewing Farage turn "people's stomachs"....a subjective pov dependent on the personal bias of the "insider" in question.
"The only result of this directive from Mark Byford and the rest of the overpaid detached senior management is that listeners will simply switch off in droves.
"The idea of having to interview the Ukip leader Nigel Farage – let alone Nick Griffin – is turning people's stomachs."
Quite like the poetic image conjured up here though:
"And yet it is being treated like the man at the Lord Mayor's Show who has to walk behind the main parade sweeping up the muck with a bucket and a shovel.
3 comments:
I think interviewing the leaders of such parties is nothing but a good idea. It lets the Beeb tick off their impartiality obligations whilst at the same time potentially showing up the more extreme parties for the objectionable groupings that they really are. And removing any claims of 'victimisation' is probably more damaging to such parties than denying them access to the airwaves is anyway.
Personally I'd be more inclined to watch an interview with Nick Griffin than with the leaders of the Big Three any day...
I agree with you Keith. It's a demonstration of BBC arrogance that theyb think their *expert* analysis is of any more worth or interest than listening to the people that are actually competing in the election.
Just watching Nick Robinson's self-satisfied, self-obsessed, self-centred "me, me, me" performance on News at Ten made me switch over last night. And that's on the campaign's first day...
If the Beeb has to give airtime to minor parties, could we expect that some of the big-hitting London journos (if such things exist any more) are let loose on clowns like Adams and Robinson? Given that even the supine local hacks have managed to nail Robbo, if not the blessed Gerard, of late, that could make some excellent car-crash TV.
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