BBC local election coverage was so biased, their own host couldn’t swallow it
It looks like the BBC has gone to lengths to protect Theresa May and her party from their local election wipeout. And the broadcaster is facing widespread criticism for doing so, including from its own presenter Huw Edwards:
Breaking : #BBCbias gets called out by one of their own …. Huw Edwards 'hang on, the Tories could end up losing a 1000 councilor's & Labour lose 100 but its worse for Labour. Is that what we're saying?'' pic.twitter.com/pptViRJqI6#LocalElections2019 #LE2019 #Tory #Labour
— Jerry Hicks (@JerryHicksUnite) May 3, 2019
And as he demonstrated later on the day, Edwards has no problem with general anti-Corbyn bias:
Read on...
Haha @BBCNews Huw Edwards looking bemused and wondering why his @jeremycorbyn smear question fell at the first hurdle pic.twitter.com/55M4MGbgkU
— Leftin #GTTO #JC4PM ❌VOTE LABOUR (@logical4ever) May 3, 2019
‘Parties are doing equally bad’ apparently
The Conservatives lost nearly 16 times more seats than Labour. Labour lost 84 seats compared to the Tories’ 1330. Yet the BBC seems to have presented the result as equally bad wherever it can, with its main online coverage opening with:
Voters have delivered a stinging rebuke to the two main parties.
Another BBC online article ran the headline:
Local elections: Why has Labour lost seats?
Even Sky political editor Beth Rigby said before the election that Tory losses of over 1000 seats would be “catastrophic” for the party. The party lost one-third more than that.
“Propaganda”
On social media, people were very critical:
How BBC framing works:
BBC News: "The Conservatives and Labour lose hundred of seats".
Reality: Labour has (at time of tweet) lost 89 seats. Tories have lost just shy of 800+ and counting (as shown on BBC’s own website).
Despite BBC’s best efforts this is not level pegging. pic.twitter.com/nFwOxGsF3c
— Sarah (@ScouseGirlMedia) May 3, 2019
Half way through counting for the local elections, to date:
Labour have lost 5% of councils and 6% of seats.
Tories have lost 32% of councils and 27% of seats.The BBC News described it as "equally bad"
— Matt Thomas #JC4PM (@Trickyjabs) May 3, 2019
So, the Tory Party wanted the narrative to be that the local elections were equally bad for Tories and Labour
The UK’s “free press”, MSM and BBC duly trot out the desired narrative
The line between journalism and propaganda is crossed in the UK time and time again
Shameful
— Tom London (@TomLondon6) May 4, 2019
Other outlets like the Guardian also faced criticism:
With most local election results out, the headlines are as misleading as ever. Results: Tories lose over 1,165 seats, Labour lose about 68 seats. The Guardian says Labour "suffers heavy losses" next to a photo of Jeremy Corbyn, while BBC pretends Tory & Labour losses are same pic.twitter.com/RITSD2uQQ3
— Sami Ramadani سامي (@SamiRamadani1) May 3, 2019
This is not the first time viewers have condemned the BBC for biased local election coverage. In 2016, for instance, people chastised the broadcaster for “woeful anti-Labour bias”.
The Canary contacted the BBC for comment but had not received a response at the time of publication.
BBC bias, not just an opinion
Claims of BBC bias against Corbyn and his party are backed up by academic analysis. For instance, the BBC gave double the airtime to Corbyn’s critics than to his allies at the start of the coup in June 2016, according to analysis by the Media Reform Coalition and Birkbeck, University of London. Another “major content analysis” from Cardiff University, meanwhile, revealed that the BBC is pro-business and conservative-leaning in its coverage. No matter which party is in power.
It’s clear the broadcaster needs reforming. A Corbyn-led government plans to “democratise” the BBC through dramatically reducing government and commercial influence over the broadcaster.
The point of the BBC is to put public before commercial interest. But as the outlet’s local election coverage suggests, the BBC often does the opposite. We need to ensure the broadcaster actually carries out its stated purpose.
Featured image via JerryHicksUnite/ Twitter
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Iv’e finally given up watching the BBC news, question time or indeed any BBC political based program. I have complained numerous times about all of these and each time been told that theres nothing to see here, nothing wrong and that there was no bias. Just look at the way they have treated the Juilan Assange case, the Venezuela situation, the non existent chemical attack by Assad and anything Corbyn or Labour related. All are treated to the full BBC lie after lie system. As someone once said tell the lie often enough and it becomes the truth. if you really need a laugh try reading “why you can trust the BBC” on their news site, it’s hilarious
It’s no story that the Maybot Tories are the most incompetent government in history.
Despite this open goal, Corbyn has managed to hoof it wide and out for a throw in.
Nothing to do with the BBC. The Lib Dem’s and Greens have not exactly benefited from a MSM (as you call it) machine behind them.
Shakehands, I agree but must say incompetent is too polite a word to describe Maybot’s Government. It is grossly incompetent, morally and intellectually bankrupt, the most corrupt Government this country has ever had, and the first ever to be declared to be in contempt of Parliament. I could go on and list the evidence but people on this site probably know it anyway. They have single-handedly destroyed the British economy, have made the UK the laughing stock of the world and have not a single idea about how to sort the economic mess out other than impose more austerity whilst giving the rich more tax cuts.
The Labour vote held up extremely well in the local elections. The gains by the Liberal Democrats will not translate to a General Election result because most people can remember their disastrous coalition with Cameron’s government.
We all know the BBC and MSM are just a propaganda machine for the Tory Party and we all know that, had a Labour Government presided over this total and utter mess, that the MSM and BBC would have crucified them demanding a General Election, resignations etc. We are currently in a serious constitutional crisis and the MSM are ignoring it. People can see through it now thanks to the internet and social media.
I call it the MSM because thats what it’s is…. Main Stream Media and its not being run in the interests of this nation and its population but rather for the establishment and the elite because it’s own by or run by the same. Corbyn has not in my opinion hoofed it wide but he has faced unprecedented bias and lies from the MSM including the BBC.
Henceforth the BBC shall always be known as the Biased Broadcasting Company.
Should Corbyn ever get the opportunity to face a General Election he will be fighting the BBC, the right wing owned media giants and most likely MI5 too.
Britain is corrupted by the wealthy old boys network. Perhaps it’s time to become a Republic and dispense with the so called House of Lords and the ‘Royals’ too, who after all are just hereditary dictators of yore.