• Disrupting Power Since 2015
  • Donate
  • Login
Thursday, May 22, 2025
  • Login
  • Register
Canary
MEDIA THAT DISRUPTS
  • News
    • UK
    • Global
    • Analysis
    • Trending
  • Editorial
  • Features
    • Features
    • Environment
    • Lifestyle
    • Health
    • Money
    • Science
    • Business
    • Tech
    • Travel
    • Sport & Gaming
  • Media
    • Video
    • Cartoons
  • Opinion
No Result
View All Result
MANAGE SUBSCRIPTION
SUPPORT
  • News
    • UK
    • Global
    • Analysis
    • Trending
  • Editorial
  • Features
    • Features
    • Environment
    • Lifestyle
    • Health
    • Money
    • Science
    • Business
    • Tech
    • Travel
    • Sport & Gaming
  • Media
    • Video
    • Cartoons
  • Opinion
No Result
View All Result
Canary
No Result
View All Result

A guest exposes how BBC talk shows dumb down debate

John Shafthauer by John Shafthauer
22 March 2019
in Trending, UK
Reading Time: 2 mins read
171 3
A A
4
Home Trending
324
SHARES
2.5k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

The historian and author Rutger Bregman has been making quite a stir in 2019. He lectured the super rich at Davos about paying taxes; he accused a Fox News host of promoting billionaire propaganda; and now he’s exposed how the BBC dumbs down debate.

So I was on @bbcthisweek tonight. What a bizarre experience. Three dinosaurs teaming up on me, changing the subject every 10 seconds, saying inequality hasn't gone up since Thatcher.

As they say in academia: 'Science advances one funeral at a time.'

The show stops in July. https://t.co/ejWiN3npTX

— Rutger Bregman (@rcbregman) March 22, 2019

“They all couldn’t care less”

Bregman is author of the book Utopia for Realists. Although Bregman himself supports capitalism, he does advocate several radical proposals to ‘save it’. These ideas include a 15-hour working week, universal basic income, and open borders. The BBC invited Bregman on to discuss these radical ideas. At least he thought so, anyway:

2. A bit more background on how incredibly stupid the show really is. First they invite you to talk about your book, and pretend to be really interested in your ideas.

— Rutger Bregman (@rcbregman) March 22, 2019

4. Producer: ‘Yes, we want to get into that. But what do you think about Brexit?’

A couple of hours before the show, they want you to do a video of 2 minutes in which you have to summarise all your ideas. (‘And can you say something about Brexit please?’).

— Rutger Bregman (@rcbregman) March 22, 2019

This phenomenon is why you commonly see the same pundits appearing on TV. These people may lack knowledge on the subject they’re discussing, but what little wisdom they do have they’re more than happy to share.

Bregman continued:

6. The show starts. They play the badly edited video, after which three right-wing dinosaurs – two of them politicians from the Stone Age – start teaming up on you. Clearly, not one of them has read a page of your book.

— Rutger Bregman (@rcbregman) March 22, 2019

8. This was the worst experience I’ve had with UK media, but after quite a few interviews in different countries, I think I can say that, on average, British journalists are the least curious of all. So often, being ‘critical’ is just a pose.

— Rutger Bregman (@rcbregman) March 22, 2019

The BBC often argues that its approach is impartial. What Bregman describes here is a situation in which ideas are discussed, but they’re not given room to breathe, and are actually muddied with misinformation. The BBC can point at this and say these topics were discussed; others could argue these ideas were shut down and danced around.

You can watch Bregman’s appearance on This Week here and make your own mind up:

Narrow focus

Many people have claimed the BBC actually has obvious biases. This comes about from the organisation employing people from a narrow selection of experiences with a narrow range of political opinions. As the renowned scholar Noam Chomsky explained to the BBC‘s Andrew Marr:

I’m sure you believe everything you’re saying, but what I’m saying is that if you believed something different, you wouldn’t be sitting where you’re sitting.

Several people commented on the state of the UK media – the BBC in particular:

A reminder that the UK broadcast media, BBC included, is profoundly anti-intellectual and hostile to challenge, and that THIS IS NOT NORMAL. Even in the US, you can get much more intelligent engagement on TV, let alone in the rest of Europe. https://t.co/MyopdsI7fX

— George Monbiot (@GeorgeMonbiot) March 22, 2019

I hope we're now reaching the point where we all recognise that something needs to change at the BBC. https://t.co/LD9Mq2lzgl

— Tom Mills (@ta_mills) March 22, 2019

https://twitter.com/stephenburanyi/status/1109047275660197888

Bregman did have some positive things to say about the UK media, however:

10. The good news: there are new media in the UK filling the gap. Smartest questions (and best criticisms) I got this week were from Aaron Bastani of @novaramedia – a tiny startup with really smart, young journalists. https://t.co/k6xjf7Mkv0 [the end]

— Rutger Bregman (@rcbregman) March 22, 2019

Comfort

The BBC clearly struggles to engage with ideas outside its comfort zone. Different ideas are coming, though – the threats of climate change and failing capitalism require nothing less. As Bregman told Aaron Bastani in an interview for Novara Media:

So you can’t be a moderate; it’s the most irresponsible thing right now

The BBC shows why the term ‘moderate’ is a dirty word right now – because ‘moderation’ doesn’t appear to mean listening to different ideas; it means shutting them down to protect the status quo.

Featured image via YouTube

Share130Tweet81
Previous Post

It took a teenager to speak truth to power about Brexit on BBC’s Question Time

Next Post

Manchester students confront university management over Caterpillar investment as part of Israeli Apartheid Week

Next Post
University of Manchester students call for divestment from Caterpillar.

Manchester students confront university management over Caterpillar investment as part of Israeli Apartheid Week

Fiona Bruce on BBC Question Time

The moment BBC Question Time's Fiona Bruce showed how far she'll go to protect the Conservatives from scrutiny

Police surveillance

Establishment hacks are using New Zealand massacre to keep their failed terror policies alive

BBC logo

With May on the ropes, the BBC takes its pro-government Brexit propaganda beyond satire

President Donald Trump and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a press conference

Donald Trump has called for official recognition of Israel’s authority over stolen Syrian land

Please login to join discussion
horoscope
Horoscopes

Horoscope today: your 24-hour briefing for life, love, and more

by Steve Topple
22 May 2025
Israel Netanyahu
Analysis

Verbal condemnation of Israel from European leaders is not enough

by Alaa Shamali
21 May 2025
TransActual toilet Supreme Court
News

Trans advocacy organisation unveils “Third Toilet” outside Supreme Court

by HG
21 May 2025
Labour polling Starmer
Analysis

New poll shows Labour’s pandering to the far right is failing miserably

by Ed Sykes
21 May 2025
Jeremy Corbyn
Analysis

Jeremy Corbyn suggests a new party will be in place before 2026 elections

by Ed Sykes
21 May 2025
  • Contact
  • About & FAQ
  • Get our Daily News Email
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy

The Canary
PO Box 71199
LONDON
SE20 9EX

Canary Media Ltd – registered in England. Company registration number 09788095.

For guest posting, contact [email protected]

For other enquiries, contact: [email protected]

The Canary is owned and run by independent journalists and volunteers, NOT offshore billionaires.

You can write for us, or support us by making a regular or one-off donation.

© Canary Media Ltd 2024, all rights reserved | Website by Monster | Hosted by Krystal | Privacy Settings

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • UK
    • Global
    • Analysis
    • Trending
  • Editorial
  • Features
    • Features
    • Environment
    • Lifestyle
    • Health
    • Money
    • Science
    • Business
    • Tech
    • Travel
    • Sport & Gaming
  • Media
    • Video
    • Cartoons
  • Opinion

© 2023 Canary - Worker's co-op.

Before you go, have you seen...?

horoscope
Horoscopes
Steve Topple

Horoscope today: your 24-hour briefing for life, love, and more

Israel Netanyahu
Analysis
Alaa Shamali

Verbal condemnation of Israel from European leaders is not enough

TransActual toilet Supreme Court
News
HG

Trans advocacy organisation unveils “Third Toilet” outside Supreme Court

Labour polling Starmer
Analysis
Ed Sykes

New poll shows Labour’s pandering to the far right is failing miserably

ADVERTISEMENT
Analysis
Nathan Spears

Vote for the Press Photograph of the Year 2024

Image by Burkard Meyendriesch from Pixabay
Feature
Nathan Spears

Why Santiago Ways is the Leading Choice for Walking the Camino de Santiago

Environment
Nathan Spears

EU elections point to growing public desire for new policymaking approach in Brussels