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http://www.ex-bbc.net/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl >> News and Comment >> DG gets a kicking http://www.ex-bbc.net/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1285161957 Message started by Administrator on Sep 22^nd, 2010, 1:26pm

Title: DG gets a kicking
Post by Administrator on Sep 22^nd, 2010, 1:26pm

These letters appeared in this week's Ariel:

Just who is biased?

‘There was a massive left-wing bias at the BBC,’ said the director general, and there was much rejoicing in the Tory press about that headline when it appeared above an interview with Mark Thompson in the New Statesman (September 2).

‘In the BBC I joined 30 years ago (1979) there was, in much of current affairs, in terms of people’s personal politics, which were quite vocal, a massive bias to the left. The organisation did struggle then with impartiality. And journalistically, staff were quite mystified by the early years of Thatcher.’

As Mark’s boss 29 years ago, when editor of Nationwide (and earlier of Tonight and Panorama), I was in turn baffled and rather irritated by that statement. What is his evidence?

Perhaps he believes my fellow programme editors of that time like Chris Capron, George Carey, Ron Neil, Peter Ibbotson and Hugh Williams were lefties? In which case he must be possessed of remarkable insight since even today I don’t know what their political leanings were or are.

How about the main presenters then, Robin Day, David Dimbleby, John Tusa, Peter Snow, Frank Bough, Sue Lawley. Card carrying commies? I don’t think so.

What about the rows with the Thatcher Government? Ah the rows! Well I was involved in quite a few of them and they weren’t about whether we were pro or anti Mrs Thatcher; they were about whether we should report as honestly and openly as we could about the situation in Northern Ireland or the Falklands War. The-then Prime Minister saw no role for independent journalism in the coverage of the Troubles or in the undeclared war against Argentina.

Of course everyone has views. It is undeniable that most editorial staff were, and probably are, of a liberal inclination when it comes to social issues, and that they cluster around the middle ground of the po litical spectrum. I would also suggest they are predominantly secular as well. We all have biases, the crucial thing is to be aware of them.

However it is something else en tirely to suggest that we flawed crea tures made predominantly left-wing programmes.

When he worked for me, Mark used to do his research. In this case he clearly has not.

Roger Bolton
presenter, Radio4Feedback

• Mark Thompson has recently said to the New Statesman that the BBC had a massive left-wing bias a gen eration ago. I feel that he should not have made this statement because it seems to be without foundation and many would disagree with it.

The political leaning of the BBC, if any, is always debatable and its DG should not be pandering to right-wing critics, as he appears to be here.
John Greaves, post production engi neer, machines workshop