Author Alex Nunns dismantles the myth of BBC impartiality in a brutal number crunch

Alex Nunns, author of The Candidate, has dismantled the myth of BBC impartiality with cold, hard facts.

Shocking

For the past year, Nunns has recorded the guests on BBC Sunday Politics‘ panel of experts, categorising them as either “right”, “centre” or “left”. And his findings are shocking:

https://twitter.com/alexnunns/status/1009121479546503168

The odd error

Nunns did make the odd mistake in his lengthy quest. For example, on 16 July 2017, he tweeted:

https://twitter.com/alexnunns/status/952511053266587648

However, that didn’t inhibit his overall argument. Because actually the Sun’s political editor Tom Newton Dunn sat in for Julia Hartley-Brewer.

Again, on 10 December 2017, he tweeted:

https://twitter.com/alexnunns/status/952511073332224002

In fact, journalist Isabel Oakeshott replaced Toby Young; a like-for-like replacement, I’m sure we can all agree.

The list

The list of guests with the most appearances on the show makes for scandalous reading:

https://twitter.com/alexnunns/status/1009121493014458369

So the Sun’s political editor has appeared on 20 shows in comparison to just three appearances for the leading “left” guests. This is so imbalanced that it conjures images of a young child and their father playing on a see-saw.

Nunns admits that balance has improved slightly recently:

https://twitter.com/alexnunns/status/1009121504662048774

But the numbers still fall way short of balance:

https://twitter.com/alexnunns/status/1009121507283537921

Centre-left and left are the same, right?

Some have criticised Nunns for his decision to class some centre-left panellists as centrists:

https://twitter.com/Ozossieosborne/status/1009301886711803904

But Nunns explains why the idea that slightly left-of-centre panellists represent the left is dangerous:

https://twitter.com/alexnunns/status/1009121498144047104

And seeing centrist panellists as ‘left wing’ dictates what is acceptable:

They won't, because it is deliberate. The mainstream media is one of the tools that the establishment use to tell the rest of us which views are – and are not – acceptable.

— RedHerring (@CoastKerry) June 19, 2018

Typically, those in the centre ground argue for change that works within the status quo. Whereas those on the left want to change the status quo.

Therefore, excluding ‘left’ voices from the panel means it doesn’t reflect the electorate as a whole:

https://twitter.com/alexnunns/status/952511043049349120

But portraying centrist viewpoints as representative of ‘the left’ does maintain the myth of impartiality.

Indisputable

Nunns’ figures provide indisputable evidence of what many have been arguing for a long time. That the BBC gives disproportionate space to views that affirm the establishment and avoids real left-wing voices.

One of its flagship political debates has had 53% right-wing panellists in the last year compared with only 10% from the left.

How do you defend that?

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Featured image via BBC iPlayer