Post by Teddy Bear on Oct 11, 2009 20:48:13 GMT
The BBC is under fire, first for inviting the leader of the BNP to appear on Question Time, and now for inviting 2 members of this group to appear on Radio 1BBC storm as two of BNP's most notorious activists are invited on Radio 1 to insult Ashley Cole.
It appears they didn't research properly who these 2 were, nor did they prepare properly for an interview with them.
Sloppy!
It appears they didn't research properly who these 2 were, nor did they prepare properly for an interview with them.
Sloppy!
Impartiality is no excuse for lazy BBC journalism
The BBC is in difficulty over the BNP. The Corporation, financed by a universal tax, is bound to give airtime to any political group which wins a significant number of votes.
While the BNP failed to pass this threshold, BBC staff could simply boycott it. This made them lazy and left them ill-prepared to cope with Nick Griffin’s rise.
Their rejection of the BNP was never grounded on detailed knowledge of the many ways in which it and its supporters defy British traditions of tolerance – the racial bigotry of its constitution, its roots among neo-Nazis, the violent acts and Hitler-worshipping statements of some of its militants.
Instead, they despised the BNP as part of a general scorn for everyone outside the standard-issue liberal viewpoint which is more or less universal in the BBC.
This attitude, common in all parts of the Establishment, has actually helped the growth of the BNP, by preventing open debate about the issues Mr Griffin exploits. Now it threatens to help it even more.
As a recent encounter on Radio One’s Newsbeat demonstrates, the Corporation has moved directly from stony-faced rejection of the BNP into a sloppy willingness to let this party speak to the BBC’s large audience free from competent, informed questioning.
Two BNP members – one already notorious for outrageous statements – were given an extraordinarily easy ride.
The BBC has been reluctant to discuss this bungled episode. But it plainly has much to learn before Mr Griffin is awarded his first outing on Question Time on October 22.
Proper impartiality between different parties is not an excuse for lax journalism.
The BBC is in difficulty over the BNP. The Corporation, financed by a universal tax, is bound to give airtime to any political group which wins a significant number of votes.
While the BNP failed to pass this threshold, BBC staff could simply boycott it. This made them lazy and left them ill-prepared to cope with Nick Griffin’s rise.
Their rejection of the BNP was never grounded on detailed knowledge of the many ways in which it and its supporters defy British traditions of tolerance – the racial bigotry of its constitution, its roots among neo-Nazis, the violent acts and Hitler-worshipping statements of some of its militants.
Instead, they despised the BNP as part of a general scorn for everyone outside the standard-issue liberal viewpoint which is more or less universal in the BBC.
This attitude, common in all parts of the Establishment, has actually helped the growth of the BNP, by preventing open debate about the issues Mr Griffin exploits. Now it threatens to help it even more.
As a recent encounter on Radio One’s Newsbeat demonstrates, the Corporation has moved directly from stony-faced rejection of the BNP into a sloppy willingness to let this party speak to the BBC’s large audience free from competent, informed questioning.
Two BNP members – one already notorious for outrageous statements – were given an extraordinarily easy ride.
The BBC has been reluctant to discuss this bungled episode. But it plainly has much to learn before Mr Griffin is awarded his first outing on Question Time on October 22.
Proper impartiality between different parties is not an excuse for lax journalism.