Gransnet forums

News & politics

BBC biased or incompetent?

(136 Posts)
Nandalot Fri 10-May-19 22:08:23

So the BBC pulled ‘Have I got news for you’ tonight because one of the guests was Heidi Allen, Change UK’s leader. They thought it would breach guide lines on party leaders appearances during the lead up to an election. Didn’t they realise this yesterday before the recording? Score one for incompetence?
However, Nigel Farage (leader of the Brexit party, sorry CEO of the Brexit party) appeared on ‘Question Time’ for the 34th time on Thursday and is to appear on the ‘ Andrew Marr’ show on Sunday. Score one for bias?
Oh and by the way, Heidi Allen is not standing for election as an MEP but Farage is.

Nandalot Fri 10-May-19 22:13:43

Sorry pressed wrong button so didn’t preview. It should be 33 appearances. Also leaders should read leaders’ with an apostrophe.

Anniebach Fri 10-May-19 22:27:25

Heidi is interim leader , . It’s a disgrace, she is a well known MP, Farage is well known for failing to become an MP.

This has angered me

MiniMoon Fri 10-May-19 23:10:24

Off topic, but I have started emailing the BBC when I think an injustice has been commited, or I feel very strongly about subject. Just recently the England ladies football team were playing a friendly against Spain. I saw part of the match, but missed the last 40 minutes. I watched the news to see the results. The premier league matches were covered, but not a mention of the ladies. I emailed them to complain about gender bias. I did get a reply, but it was not satisfactory. I'm really going off the BBC.

paddyann Fri 10-May-19 23:31:48

doesn't the"B" stand for biased? It has been this way for a very long time ,maybe not quite as apparent down south as here .We're sick of seeing Farage as he has little or no following in Scotland yet there he is again ...and again ...and again .Its down to the the BBC that he got any following at all,they did their utmost to publicise him when most folk hadn't a clue who he was .Now we know ...still no following here and we still get him rammed down our throats regularly.It would appear the "beeb" has an agenda all its own.

janipat Fri 10-May-19 23:37:01

paddyann I'm "down south" and certainly feel the BBC is biased. My husband regularly tries to disabuse me of this opinion by saying everyone of every persuasion thinks the same so they're probably not as bad as I think. No, I'm not entirely convinced by his argument either lol

Oldwoman70 Sat 11-May-19 06:57:20

I think my local BBC are biased. Two examples:

In the recent local elections one candidate made a stupid comment about a planning application - it was headlined in every news bulletin. Two candidates, standing for re-election, from a different party were proved to have used council employees in their own gardens - it was mentioned once on the early morning radio programme, not mentioned at all on local TV news.

In another example, I emailed asking why a criminal act against a local MP was not being reported - I received a reply not answering the question but demanding my phone number, which I found intimidating

Iam64 Sat 11-May-19 07:51:57

I'm concerned about the amount of air time the BBC gives to Farage, treating him as though he's a legitimate politician rather than a dangerous man. I'm not saying he should be censored but I don't understand why he gets so much coverage.

We're in the build up to the EU elections which is why the BBC say they pulled HIGNFU, but what difference does 24 hours make?

Interesting that the Brexit lot also accuse the BBC of bias. Whatever is going on, our BBC is losing it.

Whitewavemark2 Sat 11-May-19 07:52:57

I have given up on so much of the BBC now. I have watched glimpses of QT, and it appears to be BBC bias at its very best.

Farage seems to me in the bits I have watched on twitter like a cheap Alf Garnet, sounding off with ill informed twaddle. If political debate is ever going to get out of the gutter in this country, shows like this will never help it to achieve it.

MamaCaz Sat 11-May-19 08:00:12

When hignfy was pulled last minute, I did that oh-so-modern thing of turning to Twitter to find out why:

"@haveigotnews
Sorry everyone. The BBC have pulled tonight’s edition of #HIGNFY - no, we didn’t book Danny Baker. We booked Heidi Allen, a member of a party no-one knows the name of (not even the people in it), because the Euro elections, which nobody wants, may or may not be happening.
Sorry.
8:39 PM · May 10, 2019 · Twitter Web Client"

The number of responses to the given reason was shooting up as I read, and to say that viewers weren't happy would be the understatement of the year!
Accusations of bias and incompetence were the main complaints, but fury that Mrs Brown's Boys was deemed a suitable replacement for hignfy wasn't far behind!

Urmstongran Sat 11-May-19 08:02:53

The last QT with Farage was 3 Remainer panellists and 2 Leavers. (NF was one of them).

About right for the BBC.

EllanVannin Sat 11-May-19 08:05:40

Typical of the BBC ! No surprise as they've always been biased-----it matches their left-wing mindset.

sodapop Sat 11-May-19 08:38:10

Biased the BBC ? Whatever makes you think that Nandalot ? Add to that incompetent with vastly overpaid staff ( not all ) and you will be getting there.

Nandalot Sat 11-May-19 11:29:47

As I didn’t get to sleep until 6 a.m, I watched ‘Question Time’ last night. ( I couldn’t watch it before as it winds the family up too much!). The audience seemed heavily biased towards Farage. They were vociferous in their shouting, clapping and cheers. I hate to say what it reminded me of but I found it all very disturbing. The rest. of the audience , whom seemed to support remain/ second vote seemed totally intimidated as the programme wore on and became
more and more quiet.

Nonnie Sat 11-May-19 11:45:28

The BBC have claimed it is in their regulations but it would appear they only resort to the regs when it suits them because apparently NF was on HIGNFY before the last EU election. Apparently there are different regs for political and news programmes than those for humour. There is most certainly a bias towards leaving the EU.

What I don't understand is when they go out and interview the public about Brexit they always show most interviews with people who appear to have no understanding of why they want to leave the EU or why it hasn't happened yet. It is understandable that some say leavers are not very bright.

Iam64 Sat 11-May-19 12:44:20

this thread seems about right in that its' split between posters who think the BBC is biased towards Remain and those who think its biased towards Leave.

Nonnie - I don't believe the BBC/every other news outlet finds it easy to interview articulate, intelligent folks who say anything much different to "leave means leave - I don't care etc. etc etc "

varian Sat 11-May-19 12:54:59

Apparently liar Farage is due on Andrew Marr's show tomorrow and next week's Any Questions will include him or one of his puppets.

lemongrove Sat 11-May-19 14:10:48

We have this BBC accusation of bias regularly on GN, and I will say what I always do ? that it isn’t biased at all and usually if not always gets things right.
People see what they want to see.wink

sodapop Sat 11-May-19 14:43:27

Yes they do don't they Lemongrove

Nonnie Sat 11-May-19 16:09:24

Iam I get my news from the BBC and I have no idea how they select such people, I just know do. I don't know whether they "finds it easy to interview articulate, intelligent folks who say anything much different to "leave means leave - I don't care etc. etc etc " but I don't like to think that all who voted leave are inarticulate or un-intelligent. I have a friend who voted leave who is articulate and intelligent, she just sees it all differently to me.

Nonnie Sat 11-May-19 16:12:34

In my case that is not true Lemon. I actively listen for intelligent comments from the people the BBC interview in public places and I don't hear them. I really do think that the BBC screen out the sort of people I would like to hear from. There really cannot be that percentage of ignorance in all leave voters.

Surely everyone would agree that NF has had more than his share of airtime, whatever they voted?

Caledonai14 Sat 11-May-19 16:45:11

I agree with Nandalot about QT, which I have found increasingly difficult to watch because of the vibes coming from swathes of the audience when anybody tries to caution against leaving the EU with No Deal (or the folly getting elected MEP just to cause trouble for 27 other countries).

I'm worried about why these people, who are increasingly aggressive and intimidating towards panellists and others in the crowd, are getting away with what they are doing.

The last QT was even more frightening because Fiona Bruce directed all of her presenter's cautions and clarifications to Anna Soubry and hardly anything in the direction of Nigel Farage who was shamelessly and smugly winding up his support, Trumpesque fashion, seemingly unaware of the further ramifications for the squelching of free speech and reasoned debate in our families and communities.

It's really disturbing and the BBC need to get a grip on this because, while Farage is having the time of his life on this divisive and trouble-causing issue, we will all have to live with the consequences of his grinning, uncaring, murk-stirring antics.

The intimidation into silence of people who may represent as many as 16 million Britons is completely unacceptable.

Nonnie Sat 11-May-19 16:49:42

There was a lot of audience shouting on Any Questions this week too. Why are people like that?

varian Sat 11-May-19 16:53:47

People who are like that have been deliberately selected to pack the audience by "audience producer" Alison Fuller-Pedley, an ex member of UKIP. She has been allowed to do this for the last twenty years.

Nonnie Sat 11-May-19 16:56:25

I didn't know thatvarian but if true it should be reported. Standards really have slipped in so many ways.