Cal Thomas: The biased broadcasting corporation
In a recent scandal that has rocked the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), two high-ranking officials resigned following revelations about a controversial edit of a speech by former President Donald Trump. The incident involved splicing together two segments of Trump’s remarks delivered on January 6, 2021, in a manner that suggested he was inciting violence against the Capitol. This manipulation of footage has ignited discussions about media bias and the role of public broadcasters in shaping narratives. One commentator pointedly remarked that the first “B” in BBC should stand for “bias,” drawing a parallel to the term “Clinton News Network” used by conservatives during the 1990s to critique perceived media favoritism towards the Democratic Party.
The BBC’s editing decision has been labeled by some as a mere “mistake,” but critics argue it was a conscious effort to present a skewed view of Trump, akin to propaganda. This incident is not isolated; the BBC has faced scrutiny in the past regarding its reporting on sensitive topics, such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and climate change, where allegations of bias have been persistent. A recent survey highlighted that trust in the BBC varies significantly across political lines, with left-leaning individuals exhibiting greater confidence in the broadcaster compared to their right-leaning counterparts. The erosion of trust is further compounded by the BBC’s controversial initiatives, such as maintaining an LGBTQ desk to ensure favorable coverage of transgender issues, which some claim leads to the suppression of dissenting viewpoints.
Compounding the BBC’s challenges is the mandatory TV license fee, which costs UK residents £174.50 annually for color broadcasts. Critics argue that this fee, coupled with the perception of biased reporting, raises questions about the value of the service provided. Despite calls from conservative members of Parliament to abolish this fee, efforts have largely failed, reflecting a broader reluctance among politicians to relinquish revenue streams. The recent resignations and the surrounding controversy underscore the urgent need for the BBC to reassess its editorial practices and commitment to impartiality. As media consumers increasingly demand accountability and transparency, the future of the BBC may hinge on its ability to restore public trust and ensure fair representation of diverse viewpoints.
Two friends email from London about the
editing scandal
that led to the resignation of two top officials from the British Broadcasting Corporation. The resignations followed exposure of the splicing together of two parts of a speech by President Donald Trump on Jan. 6, 2021.The edits made it look and sound like the president was urging his followers to violently attack the Capitol.
One emailer said the first “B” in BBC should stand for bias. That reminded me of what some conservatives called CNN during the Clinton administration (the Clinton News Network), because of their perceived bias.
The second writer said the edit was only a “mistake.” It wasn’t a mistake. It was deliberate and it was made with the intention of having viewers accept their desired negative opinion of Trump. In another country and in another era, this would be called propaganda. If this sounds like the editing of the CBS “60 Minutes” interview with Kamala Harris to make her sound articulate, it should. Both flowed from the same liberal worldview.
Kudos to the
London Daily Telegraph
for practicing real journalism and exposing the edit of the Trump speech.
During World War II the BBC was a trusted source of information. It sent coded information to the French resistance and took other actions in support of the war effort. This was accurately depicted in the film “The Longest Day.” In recent years, the BBC has seen its level of trust decline.
A survey conducted by David Pickering of
The Conversation
, a news organization that calls itself “dedicated to facts and evidence,” noted that “Trust in the BBC is heavily conditioned by political identity.” The survey of 11,170 people in the UK “showed striking differences between how people with left-wing and right-wing party affiliations felt about the broadcaster.”
The editing incident isn’t the first time the credibility of the BBC has been called into question. Several internal studies have found the organization to have reported unfairly on the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. The studies changed nothing as the pro-Palestinian bias has continued. It is the same when it comes to their reporting on “climate change.”
A
Wall Street Journal
editorial notes the BBC has had an LGBTQ desk within its London headquarters to make sure stories were favorable about transgender issues. Stories that did not reflect the BBC’s “liberal orthodoxy” were suppressed, notes the Journal.
On top of this, streamers and owners of television sets are required to pay an annual
TV license fee
of £174.50 (about $230) per year for a color license and £58.50 ($77) for a black-and-white license, a compulsory payment used primarily to fund the BBC’s television, radio and online services.
Does anyone still own a black-and-white TV? And on top of this, viewers must watch endless commercials, some of which are more entertaining and creative than the programs.
Efforts by some conservative members of Parliament to eliminate the TV license fee have failed. As in America, politicians are reluctant to give up money.
Tim Davie
, the now-resigned director general of the BBC said in a statement: “This narrative will not just be given by our enemies. It’s our narrative. We own things.”
Right there you have the reason so much of the media in the UK and the U.S. are held in low regard. They think they “own things,” instead of exercising a responsibility to serve the people fairly and accurately. As with other exposures of bias, I suspect little will change within the BBC unless it follows the example of the new president of
CBS News
and begins hiring reporters with a conservative worldview who will presumably report conservative ideas fairly and accurately.
Readers may email Cal Thomas at
tcaeditors@tribpub.com
. Look for Cal Thomas’ latest book “A Watchman in the Night: What I’ve Seen Over 50 Years Reporting on America” (HumanixBooks).
