RTThu, 17 Sep 2015 13:36 UTC
© AP PHOTO/ KIRSTY WIGGLESWORTH
Some 61,000 people have signed a petition against perceived BBC bias towards Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. As the broadcaster routinely refers to Corbyn as 'left-wing,' signatories say David Cameron should likewise be tagged Britain's 'right-wing' prime minister.
The petition, started by Amanda Drury, says "every time Jeremy Corbyn is mentioned in a news report on the BBC he is referred to as 'the left wing Labour Party leader.'"
"In the interest of fairness and un-biased reporting, David Cameron should also be referred to in terms of his place on the political spectrum - 'the right-wing prime minister.'"In a statement, a BBC spokesman said: "Our journalists use descriptions of different political leanings to help the audience's understanding or where there is a specific editorial justification.
"Mr Corbyn was to the left of the other candidates and now he has been elected it is fair and accurate to say the Labour leadership is more to the left, or more 'left wing' than before."
"We do not use such labels in every instance, but we have taken a similar approach with the different political shades of other parties," the spokesman added.
The BBC has been wracked with accusations of bias in recent months, mostly over its coverage of foreign policy issues.
In June, the BBC acknowledged its presenter Sarah Montague did not adequately challenge controversial comments made by Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon about Palestine on the broadcaster's flagship Radio 4 Today program.
"Mr Ya'alon was allowed to make several controversial statements on those matters without any meaningful challenge and the program makers have accepted that the interviewer ought to have interrupted him and questioned him on his assertions."
In a statement, a BBC spokesman said: "The BBC has reached a provisional finding that the complaints should be upheld and will be taking comments from the complainants into account before finalizing the outcome."
The interview, which took place on March 19, saw the minister make a number of contestable claims, which political groups say went unchallenged.
These include Ya'alon's claim that Palestinians "enjoy already political independence. They have their own political system, government, parliament, municipalities and so forth. And we are happy with it. We don't want to govern them whatsoever."
Comment: The interviewee in the sound clip nails the heart of the problem. Mr. Corbyn is no friend of the elites. The elites, being the de facto owners of the UK mainstream media are therefor on the attack. The spin has become so blatant, people are finally somewhat waking up to it.
"mainstream media"
Once again, I suggest that you stop shooting yourself in the foot.
When you use a term invented by our oppressors for their benefit and not ours, you accept their reality -- fighting against it makes you look like the fringe, the inconsequential.
Is that really what you want to always be?
WE are the mainstream, WE are the mainstream.
Change the meme, and then WE can change the reality.
THEY are the MHM - the Mass Hallucinating Media..