The BBC and bias

In an interview with the New Staatesman BBC Director General Mark Thompson has admitted the left wing bias on the BBC, something that even the most insensitive lefty has known for years. But he implies it is in the past:

"In the BBC I joined 30 years ago [as a production trainee, in 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.

“Now it is a completely different generation. There is much less overt tribalism among the young journalists who work for the BBC."

Nice to have it acknowledged, I suppose, but there is still a wide spectrum of bias in the BBC, encompassing not just straightforward party political leanings (although that still occurs) but on a wide range of subjects. It is vehemently against Euroscepticism, for example, portraying it as 'right wing'. It is against religion, it is against climate change scepticism, these two receiving the same opprobrium, as if the protagonists were swivel eyed colonels in Gloucestershire. Anyone who is against abortion or immigration is given the same treatment.

Read this article in the Telegraph  here on how they treat opponents of the Pope's visit and those opposing the ground zero mosque.

I'm afraid, Mr Thompson, there is still a lot of work to do on this subject, and in my view the BBC cannot continue as a publicly funded broadcaster until it is done.