Post by Teddy Bear on Jul 27, 2010 18:38:33 GMT
You can imagine the 'wink, wink, nod nod,' going on between Mandelson and the BBC before the show went to air. Nobody can say that the BBC staff are not aware of their insidious bias.
Anger over BBC's saturation coverage of Mandelson memoirs
By Paul Revoir
The BBC has been accused of promoting Peter Mandelson’s memoirs after giving blanket coverage to the book release.
The former business secretary appeared across many of the corporation’s radio and TV networks shortly before The Third Man went on sale.
Lord Mandelson, who signed a six-figure serialisation deal with a national newspaper, was given a 17-minute interview in the prime slot on Radio 4’s Today programme.
He also appeared on BBC1’s Andrew Marr Show and BBC Breakfast, as well as on Jeremy Vine’s Radio 2 programme, Richard Bacon’s 5 Live slot, BBC2’s Daily Politics, BBC Radio Wales and the World Service.
Critics and listeners yesterday accused the BBC of acting like a shameless publicity machine.
The most controversial aspect of its reporting of the memoirs was the decision to interview Lord Mandelson on the Today programme just after the 8am news.
Before he was even asked a question, he interrupted presenter Evan Davis to say: ‘Can I say immediately I don’t accept your characterisation of the book. I mean it is only available in all good bookshops and off Amazon today…’
Later in the interview, he implored: ‘Read the book as a whole that’s what I ask people to do.’
Davis was heard at one point reading a passage from the memoirs. Listeners contacted Radio 4 complaints show Feedback to express their anger at what they regarded as plugging.
One licence-fee payer, Sheila Croft, said: ‘I could hardly believe my ears when immediately after the 8am news on the Today programme Peter Mandelson was given a prime opportunity to market his book.
Lord Mandelson
Controversial: BBC critics are asking why Lord Mandelson, seen here on BBC1's Andrew Marr Show, was given so much air time
‘Isn’t this spot meant to be for issues of major importance?
‘I hope the BBC will charge Peter Mandelson the going rate for the advertising space they gave him.’
Conservative MP Bill Cash said: ‘The way in which it was done clearly demonstrated that he was not only allowed to plug his book but that he was effectively given a free ride.’
A spokesman for the Today programme told Feedback: ‘Peter Mandelson was one of the key architects of New Labour and a pivotal figure throughout 13 years of Labour government.
‘This was his first broadcast interview since his book was serialised and the first opportunity listeners had to hear him cross examined about his motives for writing it and questioned about his depiction of how the Labour Party acted when in power.
‘It was conducted with the same rigour and high editorial standards as any other interview on the Today programme.’
It is not the first time the BBC has been accused of giving excessive coverage to book releases by Labour figures. Both Alastair Campbell’s diaries and Cherie Blair’s memoirs were also subjected to similar levels of exposure across the BBC’ s networks.
By Paul Revoir
The BBC has been accused of promoting Peter Mandelson’s memoirs after giving blanket coverage to the book release.
The former business secretary appeared across many of the corporation’s radio and TV networks shortly before The Third Man went on sale.
Lord Mandelson, who signed a six-figure serialisation deal with a national newspaper, was given a 17-minute interview in the prime slot on Radio 4’s Today programme.
He also appeared on BBC1’s Andrew Marr Show and BBC Breakfast, as well as on Jeremy Vine’s Radio 2 programme, Richard Bacon’s 5 Live slot, BBC2’s Daily Politics, BBC Radio Wales and the World Service.
Critics and listeners yesterday accused the BBC of acting like a shameless publicity machine.
The most controversial aspect of its reporting of the memoirs was the decision to interview Lord Mandelson on the Today programme just after the 8am news.
Before he was even asked a question, he interrupted presenter Evan Davis to say: ‘Can I say immediately I don’t accept your characterisation of the book. I mean it is only available in all good bookshops and off Amazon today…’
Later in the interview, he implored: ‘Read the book as a whole that’s what I ask people to do.’
Davis was heard at one point reading a passage from the memoirs. Listeners contacted Radio 4 complaints show Feedback to express their anger at what they regarded as plugging.
One licence-fee payer, Sheila Croft, said: ‘I could hardly believe my ears when immediately after the 8am news on the Today programme Peter Mandelson was given a prime opportunity to market his book.
Lord Mandelson
Controversial: BBC critics are asking why Lord Mandelson, seen here on BBC1's Andrew Marr Show, was given so much air time
‘Isn’t this spot meant to be for issues of major importance?
‘I hope the BBC will charge Peter Mandelson the going rate for the advertising space they gave him.’
Conservative MP Bill Cash said: ‘The way in which it was done clearly demonstrated that he was not only allowed to plug his book but that he was effectively given a free ride.’
A spokesman for the Today programme told Feedback: ‘Peter Mandelson was one of the key architects of New Labour and a pivotal figure throughout 13 years of Labour government.
‘This was his first broadcast interview since his book was serialised and the first opportunity listeners had to hear him cross examined about his motives for writing it and questioned about his depiction of how the Labour Party acted when in power.
‘It was conducted with the same rigour and high editorial standards as any other interview on the Today programme.’
It is not the first time the BBC has been accused of giving excessive coverage to book releases by Labour figures. Both Alastair Campbell’s diaries and Cherie Blair’s memoirs were also subjected to similar levels of exposure across the BBC’ s networks.