Post by ascendinglark on Sept 9, 2007 13:46:32 GMT
The BBC gives one of its free soapboxes to a socialist who has a bee in his bonnet about the rich (productive) getting away with lowering their tax bills...
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6982742.stm
So why is this a story? Doing a simple search using Google News for "Brendan Barber" and "tax" reveals that, unsurprisingly, it's only really the BBC going with the "Super-rich should pay more tax" comments. Are they just simply reporting comments made at the TUC annual conference (the newsworthiness of which is debatable anyway)?
Speaking "ahead of". So, the personal opinions of a man, that weren't even made in any kind of official capacity or at any event, are considered "newsworthy" by the BBC. What's more, his opinions are not challenged in any way, shape or form, despite the fact that his dog-eared socialism, in which wealth is a finite pie to be "shared equally", SCREAM to be challenged by anyone with an objective viewpoint.
Can you imagine if the BBC were reporting the views of some industrialist who felt that it was wrong that the top 3% of earners pay 30% of all taxes (as they do in the states, for example)? Do you really think the BBC would report their views as a story with absolutely no challenge or rebuttal from anyone else whatsoever? In fact the BBC would not even consider giving such views their own news item, and even if they did the story would be peppered with contrary comments from "caring" people talking about poverty and the "duty of the rich".
It has to be wondered - is the role of the BBC to report news, or to promote an ideology? Well it doesn't have to be wondered on this forum, anyway!
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6982742.stm
So why is this a story? Doing a simple search using Google News for "Brendan Barber" and "tax" reveals that, unsurprisingly, it's only really the BBC going with the "Super-rich should pay more tax" comments. Are they just simply reporting comments made at the TUC annual conference (the newsworthiness of which is debatable anyway)?
Speaking ahead of the TUC annual congress, which starts in Brighton on Monday, he said:
Speaking "ahead of". So, the personal opinions of a man, that weren't even made in any kind of official capacity or at any event, are considered "newsworthy" by the BBC. What's more, his opinions are not challenged in any way, shape or form, despite the fact that his dog-eared socialism, in which wealth is a finite pie to be "shared equally", SCREAM to be challenged by anyone with an objective viewpoint.
Can you imagine if the BBC were reporting the views of some industrialist who felt that it was wrong that the top 3% of earners pay 30% of all taxes (as they do in the states, for example)? Do you really think the BBC would report their views as a story with absolutely no challenge or rebuttal from anyone else whatsoever? In fact the BBC would not even consider giving such views their own news item, and even if they did the story would be peppered with contrary comments from "caring" people talking about poverty and the "duty of the rich".
It has to be wondered - is the role of the BBC to report news, or to promote an ideology? Well it doesn't have to be wondered on this forum, anyway!