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Biased BBC

Tuesday, October 28, 2008 Laban # "Controversy" I've not been closely following the Ross/Brand obscene phone callbrouhaha, but a couple of things struck me about the BBC's coverage : Yesterday's Today programme was talking about the "controversy" over the call. The word "controversy" implies disagreement, two sides, some who think one thing, some another. Yet in all the coverage I've not heard anyone defending what the BBC did, the debate, such as it is, being about the nature and degree of sanctions and who they should be applied to. The BBC must be shy about presenting the people who thought the call was a good idea. The BBC mot du jour to describe the affair is "prank", with its overtones of schoolboy larks. Russell Brand is 33. Jonathan Ross is 47. Brand defended the call on air by asking what was more offensive, the Daily Mail's support for Mosley's Blackshirts seventy-odd years back, or his call. I guess the answer to that is that that no-one in the 1930s was forced on pain of imprisonment to buy the Daily Mail ! (Slightly off-topic but irresistible - I bet you didn't know that the Guardian argued for the Nazi Party's inclusion in the German government, saying that this would "help to perpetuate this democracy". Or that the Observer hinted that claims of anti-semitism were exaggerated because "the major part of the German Republican Press is in Jewish hands".) UPDATE - No Good Boyo examines the entrails (h/t Sam Paradise in the comments). I do have some unsolicited advice. The BBC handles these matters badly. The Queen, Gilligan, Barbara & Yasser 4 Eva,phones-in, boycotting Gary Numan, you name it - the BBC always follows the same pattern: Managers stoutly defend integrity of initial broadcast. Managers actually watch initial broadcast. Managers abjectly apologise for initial broadcast. Someone called Jonty is sacked. All BBC staff go on a "don't lie or be a bastard/don't say ffyc" course, run by an independent consultancy recently set up by Jonty. Comments: 0 - Biased BBC Home Hugh # General BBC-related comment thread! Please use this thread for comments about the BBC's current programming and activities. This post will remain at or near the top of the blog - scroll down for new topic-specific posts. N.B. This is not an invitation for general off-topic comments, rants or chit-chat. Thoughtful comments are encouraged. Comments may also be moderated. Any suggestions for stories that you might like covered would be appreciated! It's your space, use it wisely Comments: 0 - Biased BBC Home Hugh # Definitely not a good week for the Beeb... Thanks to George R in the comments for pointing out that criticism of the Beeb's bloggers – particularly Webb – is finding a wider audience. [S]urely it's time the organisation tried to control its bloggers who are becoming more and more outspoken. As a publicly-funded broadcaster, the BBC is supposed to maintain an attitude of political impartiality, but no longer, when it comes to the blogs available on the corporation's website, reads the Standard's Diary column. It goes on to reference a couple of the recent blog entries that have been highlighted here. And it's none too flattering about Peston, either. Comments: 0 - Biased BBC Home Hugh # Ross and Brand to be investigated by Ofcom Sky has the full story. The BBC also has it, but again in its coverage of this forgets to mention that it received over 1,500 complaints - interesting context, I thought. UPDATE: Definitely not a good day for the Beeb, with both Melanie Phillips and the Guardian's John Harris having a go at it. Comments: 0 - Biased BBC Home