Cal Thomas: The biased broadcasting corporation
The recent editing scandal at the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has ignited a fierce debate about media bias and credibility, culminating in the resignation of two high-ranking officials. The controversy centers around the manipulation of a speech by President Donald Trump on January 6, 2021, where segments were spliced together to create the misleading impression that he was inciting violence against the Capitol. This incident has drawn parallels to past accusations of bias against media outlets, including the labeling of CNN as the “Clinton News Network” during the 1990s. The scandal has raised questions about the integrity of the BBC, an institution that has historically been a trusted source of information, especially during pivotal moments like World War II.
The fallout from this incident is indicative of a broader issue regarding public trust in the BBC, which has been on the decline in recent years. A survey conducted by David Pickering revealed significant disparities in how individuals with different political affiliations perceive the BBC, suggesting that trust is heavily influenced by political identity. Critics argue that this editing incident is not an isolated case; previous internal studies have highlighted a pro-Palestinian bias in their reporting, along with a tendency to suppress stories that do not align with the BBC’s liberal stance, particularly regarding LGBTQ issues. The Wall Street Journal has pointed out that the BBC maintains a dedicated LGBTQ desk to ensure favorable coverage, further fueling claims of systemic bias within the organization.
Moreover, the BBC’s funding model, which requires viewers to pay an annual TV license fee, has come under scrutiny. With fees reaching £174.50 (approximately $230) for color licenses, many question the necessity of such payments, especially as the media landscape evolves with streaming services and diverse content options. Despite efforts by some conservative members of Parliament to abolish the license fee, these initiatives have struggled to gain traction. The resignation of Tim Davie, the director-general of the BBC, who remarked that “this narrative will not just be given by our enemies. It’s our narrative. We own things,” underscores a troubling mindset within the organization. Critics argue that such an attitude reflects a disconnect from the responsibility of serving the public fairly and accurately. The BBC’s credibility will likely remain under scrutiny unless it takes steps to diversify its reporting staff and perspectives, following the example set by other media organizations in the pursuit of balanced journalism.
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).
