Looking back on the genesis of what became the BBC series
The Age Of Uncertainty, J K Galbraith mused “
In the world of responsible television there are the BBC and some others. Its genius lies in the quality of the people it attracts and also in the feeling of everyone … that they have a deeply shared responsibility for the product”.
Tim Davie, current BBC DG
What has also been true of the BBC in the years since is that the Corporation has been subjected to more than occasional political interference: Greg Dyke was effectively forced from the Director General’s chair after a backlash from the Blair Government, and before him, Alasdair Milne had his resignation forced upon him at the behest of Margaret Thatcher. Now the Beeb is once again under pressure from the Government.
So there is an almost obsessive attention to impartiality, or what is deemed to be impartiality by current DG Tim Davie. Staff have had their use of social media severely constrained; the sensitivity of management to attacks by the Tories, and especially their hangers-on within the media class, is palpable. A once great organisation has become as yet another frightened rabbit before the headlights of its opponents’ juggernauts.
That this has led the Corporation astray was laid bare in an appearance before the House of Lords communication committee, as the
Guardian has reported. “
David Jordan, the BBC’s director of editorial policy … the man who enforces its editorial standards … said the broadcaster should ‘represent all points of view’”. That’s not what impartiality means.
But do go on. “
Jordan said everyone should expect their views to be appropriately represented by the national broadcaster - even if they believe the Earth is flat … ‘Flat-earthers are not going to get as much space as people who believe the Earth is round, but very occasionally it might be appropriate to interview a flat-earther. And if a lot of people believed in flat Earth we’d need to address it more”. No. Just no. The earth isn’t flat.
Impartiality is not,
repeat not, REPEAT NOT, “
both sides-ing” every issue. That way, you end up with “
Here’s an emeritus professor of epidemiology to make the case for Covid-19 restrictions, and to oppose him, here’s Allison Pearson (or Julia Hartley Dooda. Or Darren Grimes. Or a Magna Carta wacko)". Jordan’s remarks have not been well received.
Ian Dunt was unimpressed. “
This is the BBC's director of editorial policy. It suggests a catastrophic breakdown in basic editorial judgement, grounded in a failure to recognise the notion of objective truth”. Writer Ian Betteridge put it yet more directly.
“
BBC EdPol (Editorial Policy) has never been more of a mess. The first value on the list for the BBC is ‘Trust is the foundation of the BBC. We’re independent, impartial and honest’. How is Jordan's statement in line with that? When a senior journalist sits in front of MPs and tells them that if more people believed in a flat earth, it would ‘address it more’, they have forgotten what journalism is for. The truth is not a popularity contest”.
He has called on Jordan to resign. Meanwhile, Davie has added “
If we’re sensing there is genuine concern about an area or we’re getting more complaints in an area, that will help inform our decisions about where we want to focus our internal reviews”.
What about facts? Or is it really one big popularity contest now? This is not good.
At all.
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5 comments:
Yes, it IS just "a popularity contest - aka "the ratings war". Hence the absolute shite of soap operas, commercialised sports (and dead-brained "pundits" whipping up artificial hysteria), game shows and unfunny "comedy".
In 1973 Milton Shulman published The Least Worst Television In The World. He quoted the Financial Times "There is an increasing amount of evidence that suggests that too much television might in some way be harmful, either by propagating half-baked truths, or by encouraging violence, or by distorting everyone's vision of the world.... The BBC will be shirking its duty if, in its next few years, it fails to get to grips with this fundamental problem in order to be tailored or curtailed (or possibly expanded) for the good of the society it serves".
Since then we've had a prime minister who said (thieving the phrase from crackpot White Russian fascist Ayn Rand) "There's no such thing as society", a nation which has turned into a far right racist shit hole, and monopoly-owned media that is nothing more than capitalist state propaganda.
BBC News and Current Affairs hasn't so much shirked it's responsibility as abandoned it completely....it has become the state broadcaster in a far right capitalist state. But even that isn't enough for a thoroughly corrupt Establishment.
Shulman knew what was likely to happen. And it DID happen. The result is the sheer rottenness of poisonous greed and thievery, the utter moral corruption of society, politics and culture. Dry rot of the soul mouthed in weasel words and endemic hypocrisy.
“Here’s an emeritus professor of epidemiology to make the case for Covid-19 restrictions, and to oppose him, here’s Allison Pearson (or Julia Hartley Dooda. Or Darren Grimes. Or a Magna Carta wacko)".
Or put another way "Here's Professor Neil Ferguson, an epidemiologist of Imperial College, fanciful forecaster and a driving force behind lockdowns which he doesn't believe apply to him or his married lover".
Emeritus professors are spent professors and professors are, in this age of personal and industry sponsored chairs, are not necessarily the most able academic in their department.
To 13:44.
Starkey was once a visiting professor. And he's an unemployable thick-as-pigshit racist....now wanted by nobody.
Satire is dead.
https://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/environment/the-earth-is-it-flat-or-round-an-unbiased-bbc-report-20190808188058
"Or put another way "Here's Professor Neil Ferguson, an epidemiologist of Imperial College, fanciful forecaster and a driving force behind lockdowns which he doesn't believe apply to him or his married lover". "
Sacked by people who turned out to be having affairs, parties, drives to Barnard castle etc.
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