The BBC is facing a social media backlash due to its choice of one particular Question Time panellist

Piers Morgan on Question Time
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The BBC is facing a backlash on social media over its decision to invite Piers Morgan onto Question Time on 12 July:

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A bully

The general reaction to Morgan’s appearance is one of disgust:

Yet people’s personal feelings towards Morgan are not the main reason the BBC is receiving such a heavy backlash. Question Time is a debate, and a debate requires panellists to listen to each other’s opinions before offering their take on the particular subject.

The fact is that many people feel Morgan is incapable of doing this:

And his bullish arrogance means people feel he will bring nothing to the table:

His reputation precedes him

People’s accusations are based on the fact that Morgan continually stoops to using personal attacks in debates. On the morning of 12 July, for example, Morgan attacked journalist Ash Sarkar in a debate about protesting the visit of US president Donald Trump:

As The Canary reported, Morgan continually talked over and attacked Sarkar, pursuing the tired argument that if you don’t protest one thing it’s hypocritical to protest another. He then falsely stated that her “hero” was Barack Obama, leading Sarkar (not a supporter of Obama’s political ideology) to label him an “idiot”.

This supposed interview seems to confirm the Question Time audience’s fears:

And the Sarkar interview is not a one-off. Morgan recently compared vegans to terrorists in an interview with veganism campaigner Joey Carbstrong:

Analysing the interview in The Canary, Sam Woolfe wrote:

During this debate, Morgan disapproved of vegans using inflammatory language, like ‘meat is murder’, but then compared vegans to terrorists. Morgan said, of course, he is against animal cruelty. But rather than taking a hard look at the ethical issues associated with dairy production, he resorted to personal attacks.

Regardless of Carbstrong’s past, Morgan showed that he didn’t have a leg to stand on.

He who should not be welcomed

The BBC has clearly invited Morgan on because of his close relationship with Donald Trump. Morgan ‘bagged‘ the first international TV interview with Trump. But many don’t see this as a good thing:

And the thought of him eulogising over Trump is a horrible idea for some:

But the real danger is that anti-Trump voices will be drowned out by Morgan’s bullying tactics:

It’s no wonder people are calling for a Question Time boycott:

Spoilsport

Question Time is a debate. Its role is to give the public different opinions on important issues, allowing people to make up their mind on where they stand.

Yet Morgan has continually shown that he is incapable of debating with people fairly and instead resorts to personal attacks and talking over people. The thought of him not allowing anyone to criticise Trump is sickening.

No wonder the BBC is facing a social media backlash.

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