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Used to listen to 5 Live a lot, but had to stop when Peter Allen used to call people 'Mate' when it was someone who he assumed was 'working class'
Impartial is reporting the facts without bias. It doesnt mean you have to invite someone who is arguing for a load of bollocks just because you have someone else reporting the facts.
This. Imagine any other bit of scientific consensus which has to be 'balanced' in this way. Every piece on cancer therapies with some loon who believes modern medicine is rubbish, and drinking your own urine is the solution?
The BBC doesn't get it right every time. Regardless of the status of the Today programme, often it comes down to inexperienced researchers and producers desperately phoning around folk at midnight looking for someone to come on the programme to talk about a story which they know will dominate the news agenda the next day. At that point it's more likely some rentagob from some dodgy pressure group will be the only thing available.
The difference at the BBC is that normally they are at least trying to report without bias, which puts ahead of most media outfits in the UK, who barely give a shit.
press is overwhelmingly right wing
this may be the natural position of the country... there are papers left of centre. Nobody buys them.
Again, it may not fit in with the narrative, but when people are given the choice, you can see what they choose. If they didn't agree with the Sun, the Mirror is an alternative.
The indy has gone bust (to all intents and purposes), the guardian is in free fall. The morning star is under 10k a day.
On the other side, the Telegraph is struggling badly, the times is down, and the mail and sun are mocked.
On the climate change point the BBC has shifted its editorial policy recently to be clear don't need a denier to "balance" the debate.
Took way to long though. There is a general issur with science or any report with stats is that the reporters and presenters don't understand even the basics. This not restricted to the BBC
<div class="bbp-reply-author">chiefgrooveguru
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The right thinks they’re left and vice versa. So they’re probably relatively balanced as news outlets go.
Doesn't really work though, does it? Bias is an absolute but people's perception of it is subjective. If you genuinely believe that Theresa May is a centrist (ie, you are mental), then you'll perceive perfectly centred unbiased reporting as being left wing. And the opposite of course- but as I mentioned earlier, the Tory party and their supporters are much more invested in pretending to be centrists (so that they can extract votes from people they intend to shaft), while Labour (currently at least) are generally more happy to be seen as they actually are, ie wooly lefty moderates, and only take offence when they're tarred as hard left by, well, by biased BBC reporters among others. Because, well, Labour can afford to be seen for what they are, the Tories rely on not.
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Now that post, that's biased. But it's probably true. Again, Laura Kuennsberg and Theresa May's bus.
Took way to long though. There is a general issur with science or any report with stats is that the reporters and presenters don’t understand even the basics. This not restricted to the BBC
Yeah - using big name megabucks egoistic political type presenters who only understand party politics - these people are clueless about even basic science issues so are unable to spot even the most outrageous howlers that are bowled by the fossil fuel lobby. A John Humphreys interview with any specialist science type who knows and understands his topic is also painful thing to listen too.
Re False balance - in science issues - when have they ever had a fundamentaist religious creationist type in to balance an interview by a medic on Antimicrobial resistance - it doesn't happen.
I think deference to the "Establishment" is a useful way of thinking about it - rather than a party political allegiance as such, Here in Wales for example the BBC is seen by many as being unable or unwilling to challenge Wales Government (Labour). Here the "establishment" is both Labour & unionist. Many Wwelsh journalists and broadcasters will happily retire with gongs presented by HM, but ordered up for them by nominally socialist politicians. To use a cycling expression - "Lets not piss in the soup."