Cal Thomas: The biased broadcasting corporation
In a recent email exchange from London, two friends discussed an editing scandal that led to the resignation of two senior officials at the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). This controversy arose from the BBC’s manipulation of a speech by former President Donald Trump on January 6, 2021, where the network spliced two segments together. This editing altered the context, making it appear as if Trump was inciting violence against the Capitol. The fallout from this incident highlights a growing perception of bias within the BBC, with one emailer quipping that the first “B” in BBC should stand for “bias,” reminiscent of how some conservatives labeled CNN as the “Clinton News Network” during the 1990s.
The discussion further delves into the implications of such editorial choices, with one writer dismissing the incident as a mere “mistake.” However, the other argues that the edit was a calculated move to shape public opinion against Trump, comparing it to similar manipulations in media, such as the editing of a CBS interview with Vice President Kamala Harris. The emailers applaud the London Daily Telegraph for its investigative journalism in exposing the BBC’s actions, contrasting the corporation’s current reputation with its historical role as a trusted source during World War II. Recent surveys indicate a significant decline in public trust in the BBC, particularly along political lines, with right-leaning individuals expressing greater skepticism about the broadcaster’s impartiality.
This incident is not isolated; it reflects a broader pattern of perceived bias within the BBC, particularly in its coverage of contentious issues like the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and climate change. Critics point to the establishment of an LGBTQ desk at the BBC, aimed at ensuring favorable coverage of transgender issues, as further evidence of the organization’s liberal slant. Additionally, the BBC’s funding model, which requires viewers to pay an annual TV license fee, has come under scrutiny, particularly given the rise of streaming services and changing viewing habits. Despite calls from conservative members of Parliament to abolish the license fee, political inertia has stalled reform efforts. The recently resigned director general, Tim Davie, remarked on the BBC’s ownership of its narrative, suggesting a troubling sense of entitlement that may contribute to the media’s declining credibility. For meaningful change, there are calls for the BBC to diversify its hiring practices and include journalists with conservative viewpoints, thereby fostering a more balanced media landscape.
Two friends email from London about theÂ
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 theÂ
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 ofÂ
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.”
AÂ
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 annualÂ
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 ofÂ
CBS News
 and begins hiring reporters with a conservative worldview who will presumably report conservative ideas fairly and accurately.
Readers may email Cal Thomas atÂ
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).
