Cal Thomas: The biased broadcasting corporation
In a recent email exchange between two friends in London, the conversation centered around the fallout from a controversial editing incident at the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) that resulted in the resignation of two top officials. The scandal erupted after it was revealed that the BBC had spliced together segments of a speech delivered by President Donald Trump on January 6, 2021, making it appear as though he was inciting violence against the Capitol. This manipulation of footage has raised serious concerns about the integrity and bias of the BBC, with one emailer provocatively suggesting that the first “B” in BBC should stand for “bias,” echoing sentiments from the Clinton administration era when CNN was derisively dubbed the “Clinton News Network” for similar perceived partiality.
The discussion highlights a broader issue of trust in media, particularly the BBC, which has seen its credibility wane in recent years. A survey conducted by David Pickering revealed that public trust in the BBC is heavily influenced by political affiliation, with stark contrasts in perception between left-leaning and right-leaning individuals. This incident is not isolated; the BBC has faced criticism for its coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and climate change, with internal studies pointing to a consistent pro-Palestinian bias and a liberal slant in reporting. Furthermore, the Wall Street Journal noted that the BBC has established an LGBTQ desk to ensure favorable coverage of transgender issues, further fueling claims of editorial bias.
The BBC’s funding model, which requires viewers to pay an annual TV license fee—£174.50 for a color license—adds another layer of complexity to the discussion. Despite the compulsory nature of this fee, there are calls from some conservative members of Parliament to abolish it, although such efforts have yet to gain traction. Tim Davie, the recently resigned director-general, stated that the narrative surrounding the BBC is something the organization feels it “owns,” reflecting a troubling mindset that can undermine the media’s responsibility to serve the public fairly and accurately. The incident serves as a stark reminder of the need for diverse perspectives in journalism to restore trust and credibility in institutions like the BBC, which once stood as a beacon of reliable information during critical times, such as World War II.
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).
