Cal Thomas: The biased broadcasting corporation
In a recent email exchange from London, two friends discussed the fallout from an editing scandal that led to the resignation of two high-ranking officials at the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). The controversy erupted over the BBC’s editing of a speech by President Donald Trump made on January 6, 2021, which was manipulated to suggest that he incited violence against the Capitol. One of the emailers expressed their discontent by stating that the first “B” in BBC should stand for “bias,” reminiscent of the term “Clinton News Network” used by some conservatives during the Clinton administration to criticize perceived media partiality. In contrast, the second friend downplayed the edit as a mere “mistake.” However, the author of the article argues that this was no accident but a deliberate act aimed at shaping public perception against Trump, likening it to other instances of media manipulation, such as an edited CBS interview with Vice President Kamala Harris.
The scandal has reignited debates about the BBC’s credibility, which has been waning in recent years. Once a trusted source during World War II, the BBC has faced scrutiny over its perceived biases, particularly in its coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and climate change. A survey conducted by David Pickering revealed that trust in the BBC varies significantly based on political affiliation, highlighting a growing divide in public perception. Critics, including a Wall Street Journal editorial, have pointed out that the BBC has implemented measures to ensure favorable reporting on LGBTQ issues while suppressing stories that contradict their liberal narrative. Furthermore, the BBC’s funding model, which requires viewers to pay an annual TV license fee, has come under fire, especially as many question the relevance of such a fee in a modern media landscape filled with advertisements.
The controversy surrounding the editing incident reflects a broader issue within media organizations, where the perception of bias can undermine public trust. The former director general of the BBC, Tim Davie, stated, “This narrative will not just be given by our enemies. It’s our narrative. We own things.” This statement encapsulates a growing concern that media outlets prioritize their narratives over impartial reporting. The article suggests that unless the BBC adopts a more balanced approach by incorporating diverse perspectives, including conservative viewpoints, it risks further alienating segments of its audience. As the media landscape continues to evolve, the need for fair and accurate reporting remains paramount, and the BBC’s future credibility may depend on its ability to address these biases.
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).
