James Tapsfield, Mail Online, via The GWPF
The BBC was accused of being a ‘left-wing mouthpiece’ today after it issued a grovelling apology for failing to challenge Lord Lawson over a claim temperatures have not risen over the last 10 years. Furious MPs said the decision to single out the peer showed the corporation had given up any ‘pretence’ of impartiality.
Former chancellor Lord Lawson made the claim during an interview broadcast on Radio 4’s Today programme in August.
The BBC had initially rejected complaints from viewers, claiming that it was important to give air time to ‘dissenting voices’ in the pursuit of fairness.
However it has now bowed to pressure and admitted that it breached its own editorial guidelines on accuracy and impartiality.
Tory MP Philip Davies told MailOnline: ‘It is what you would expect from the BBC. It is typical BBC.
‘They have given up any pretence of being impartial these days. They have become a mouthpiece for any left-wing, pro-EU Labour party cause.
‘If they think they might have upset some of their left wing cheerleaders then of course they are going to apologise profusely.
‘I look forward to them apologising profusely when a right wing politician is challenged. I think we would be waiting a long time.’
Andrew Bridgen, Tory MP for North West Leicestershire told MailOnline: ‘If the BBC had to apologise for every inaccuracy a Labour politician made on air they would never be able to have a Labour politician on.
‘The position sounds rather extreme to me – the BBC very seldom allow climate sceptics on the programme.’
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But!
both Lawson and the GWPF admitted that his claims/figures were wrong…
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nigel-lawson-climate-change-sceptics-global-temperatures-fall-false-claim-warming-gwpf-bbc-radio-4-a7894686.html
The BBC is clearly pandering to whining dupes. Several years ago the BBC published an article in which the author openly stated there had been no warming since 1998. Yet Nigel Lawson is being berated by ignoramuses for merely restating what the IPCC have already admitted.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24173504
See links. I am a UK resident and am aware that both Conservative and Labour supporters in the UK have complain about biased reporting from the BBC, and have done so for many years – 40 plus in my experience. I reason that this is probably a good thing, and demonstrates that many important stories that tax payers should be aware of are not buried or diluted. The BBC is not perfect, and I myself complain, but according to independent polls a roughly equal number of right (61%) and left (67%) wing respondents agree that the BBC provides, within a margin, fair reporting – “the BBC’s news reporting is generally accurate and trustworthy”
http://opinium.co.uk/do-people-really-think-the-bbc-is-biased/
The right wing (press and politicians) complain about a left wing bias, and the left wing complain about a right wing bias. The BBC are dragged before select committees and made accountable to democratically elected representatives. The BBC even make programs taking the p*ss out of themselves, for example, I recommend W1A to anyone who would like to laugh at the expense of the BBC/’Management speak’ consultants/faceless agencies.
Examples of a number of Labour accusations of BBC ‘hatchet jobs’ are included below.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/jeremy-corbyns-team-send-complaint-to-bbc-over-its-hatchet-job-panorama-programme-10495955.html
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/bbc-bias-jeremy-corbyn-labour-centre-right-robbie-gibb-theresa-may-laura-keunssberg-andrew-marr-a7844826.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-38248630
I absolutely agree…
when we have had a Labour govt, they have complained about BBC reporting of the govt quite as much as conservative govts have.
Labour supporting websites have quite as many complaints the BBC is biased to the right as vice versa
the BBC is making a great effort to be impartial: it is in my opinion one of the most independent and objective media organisations in the world
QED : if Grauniad brain-washed Griff think BBC is fair, conclusion is obvious.
Iain, actually, the links you provide do not complain that BBC lean right, it complains that BBC do not lean left enough. Which is pretty different, and in fact acknowledge BBC leans left
The first, because they didn’t paint Corbyn good enough
The second, because, “the centre has moved, and it’s actually much further left than they think it is” (sic). Well, left is never left enough, isn’t it?
The third do not complain about BBC, so is just irrelevant
That is why we have sites like biased bbc
https://biasedbbc.org/
If both left and right complain about BBC bias, how much actual bias to one side or the other is there?
Both the BBC and the Guardian are global-warming mouthpieces, terrified
of contrary facts.
Follow the money.
Tell me who supports the BBC public funding, and I’ll tell you which side the BBC is biased toward.
Tell me who wants to cut down public funding, and I’ll tell you which side the BBC is biased against.
So, is it the left, or the right, that support public funding? That support cuts in BBC budget?
The following people do not need to stay at the BBC for money or defend it, because of some funding. They are however, deeply influential in reporting to the public or in setting strategy and adhering the policy as laid down by Parliament. The BBC answers to Parliamentary oversight, which at the last reckoning had been predominantly Conservative for the past 7 years or so. Checks and balances, seek to limit abuse from both sides.
Nick Robinson – for 10 years the Political Editor for the BBC – background Oxford PPE and President of the Young Conservatives
Andrew Neil (most Political Air time on BBC) – Former Sunday Times Editor (Murdoch paper), Chairman of the Conservative ‘Spectator’ magazine
Chris Patten – Chairman of BBC (former Conservative Cabinet Minister) – no Labour Minister has ever chaired the BBC
In addition, Boris Johnson hired Guto Harri BBC Political Correspondent to head his Media team, before he then moved on to a job with Murdoch.
David Cameron hired Craig Oliver, the then Editor of BBC News to replace Andy Coulson (ex- Murdoch) as his Press Secretary.
The BBC is composed of people from all political persuasions, and rightly so. That does not preclude them have a collective belief, possibly incorrectly on subjects such as AGW, but arguing political bias on the basis of funding is demonstrably wrong.
My question was very simple, and the fact that you refuse to answer it and provide some name of influential conservative, translate to me that you think BBC as a left bias (because of your zeal to show it cannot be so, like “the Earth cannot be round, there are important place completely flat”).
Thanks for you answer .
The BBC are traitorous filth Iain.