Are the BBC institutionally Socialist?

Tom2023Tom2023 Posts: 2,059
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Yes

No

Are the BBC institutionally Socialist? 210 votes

Yes
43% 92 votes
No
56% 118 votes
«134567

Comments

  • Nick1966Nick1966 Posts: 15,742
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    No.

    Where is the evidence ? Endless news bulletins with the latest tractor production figures ?

    Americans portrayed as imperialist capitalists treading on the plucky socialist Britain ?

    BBC presenting a series of holiday programmes featuring appealing weekend breaks in North Korea or Cuba or a state collective farm in agrarian north east China ?

    No. The BBC is not institutionally socialist.
  • CAMERA OBSCURACAMERA OBSCURA Posts: 8,002
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    Why isn't The BBC a far Right nodding dog mouth piece would seem a more apt question?

    Has the OP been watching The Daily Politics at all? Labour do not come out of it dressed in glory at all, no parties do.

    Maybe an even more apt question would be 'When my politics are challenged is it bias'


    Its funny you don't see thread after thread claiming bias when The Tories or Labour are hauled over the coals, as they are daily on The BBC.
  • CLL DodgeCLL Dodge Posts: 115,630
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    No, they are part of the establishment and inherently conservative (small c). A reputation for being lefties would only have come from the Beeb's drama output in the 60's and 70's but that was because all the best writers were left wing.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 3,772
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    Maybe an even more apt question would be 'When my politics are challenged is it bias'


    This this and thrice this :D
  • glasshalffullglasshalffull Posts: 22,291
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    No question...every person who auditions for The Voice is required to sing The Red Flag.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 3,772
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    No question...every person who auditions for The Voice is required to sing The Red Flag.

    When I auditioned it was Ra Ra Rasputin!
  • MariesamMariesam Posts: 3,797
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    Not the BBC as an entity but definitely a high number of it backroom staff and editors which have undue control over output and viewpoints...

    ....take my 3 threads in the last 3 days, and even in the last hour we had another Labour MP being cut off just as Andrew Neil were making things tricky that is 2 interviews with two Labour politicians in the last 3days alone the same thing has happened, there should at least be an investigation into it........

    Added to that total untruths with regards to a Tory Lord on Newnight which dedicated a whole programme to the topic.........A BBC news editor the day before last years European Elections saying she is voting UKIP on twitter to stand up to White middleaged men with racist views, and she wasn't even made to apologies (see other threads on these topics for links and more details)......

    The BBC is heading down a slippery slope and I wouldn't have a problem so much if it was publically funded, but people must realise if you have a tv you have to pay the licence fee........Again its not the BBC as an entity just most of the backroom staff and editors that have a socialist leaning, and the trouble is they don't seem to hide well.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 3,772
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    It is possible to be a capitalist and still despise the Conservatives....
  • BrokenArrowBrokenArrow Posts: 21,665
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    It is possible to be a capitalist and still despise the Conservatives....

    Plenty of Socialists hate Labour, so anythings possible.

    I haven't voted on this because,

    A- I don't know

    and

    B- I don't really care.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 3,772
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    Plenty of Socialists hate Labour, so anythings possible.

    Probably because Labour stopped being socialist in 1994
  • EnnerjeeEnnerjee Posts: 5,131
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    I know nine people who work for the BBC and all of them are left-leaning. Then again, I live in Islington and so do most of those nine.

    The way it's funded means that it supports the common good, rather than shareholders, so I suppose it makes sense really. I'm sure there are many right-leaning employees and freelancers there, but I'd expect them to be a significant minority.

    I support the BBC though it needs curtailing in a lot of areas. Were it to be tax payer funded it would lose its independence and be more of a political football than it already is.
  • LostFoolLostFool Posts: 90,623
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    CLL Dodge wrote: »
    No, they are part of the establishment and inherently conservative (small c). A reputation for being lefties would only have come from the Beeb's drama output in the 60's and 70's but that was because all the best writers were left wing.

    There is a "BBC mindset" which is hard to describe. It's not as simple a left or right biased.

    They are metropolitan socially liberal but pro-establishment (especially pro-Monarchy)
  • GibsonSGGibsonSG Posts: 23,681
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    No. Is Sky institutionally right wing - er yes! Seems there is paranoia on the right. They seem to have problem with an opposing opinion and would rather the media only sang from their song sheet. Very odd!
  • JenzenJenzen Posts: 7,364
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    Maybe an even more apt question would be 'When my politics are challenged is it bias'

    That's about right.
  • paulschapmanpaulschapman Posts: 35,536
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    No they have a liberal bias rather than a left/right bias
  • Jol44Jol44 Posts: 21,048
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    The constant cat calls about it being of the left are simply to disguise its ways.

    I can't say I've seen any push from the BBC to nationalise anything. They've also spent the last 5 years giving Cameron (and this government) the easiest ride I've ever seen of any Prime Minister.
  • RobMilesRobMiles Posts: 1,224
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    Why isn't The BBC a far Right nodding dog mouth piece would seem a more apt question?

    Has the OP been watching The Daily Politics at all? Labour do not come out of it dressed in glory at all, no parties do.

    Maybe an even more apt question would be 'When my politics are challenged is it bias'


    Its funny you don't see thread after thread claiming bias when The Tories or Labour are hauled over the coals, as they are daily on The BBC.

    That's more to do with the fact that the Labour representatives are rubbish, and less by design. Although Andrew Neil is equally vicious to all parties, if the representative hasn't got their facts and figures correct.
  • davzerdavzer Posts: 2,501
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    Def centre left.

    Self admission - http://www.newstatesman.com/uk-politics/2010/09/lecture-thompson-bbc-interview

    From the DG himself.

    Which brings us to the question of the BBC's politics and the frequent accusations of bias. Thompson says this has been a problem. "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.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 3,772
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    davzer wrote: »
    Def centre left.

    Self admission - http://www.newstatesman.com/uk-politics/2010/09/lecture-thompson-bbc-interview

    From the DG himself.

    Which brings us to the question of the BBC's politics and the frequent accusations of bias. Thompson says this has been a problem. "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.


    and the paragraph after that....

    “Now it is a completely different generation. There is much less overt tribalism among the young journalists who work for the BBC. It is like the New Statesman, which used to be various shades of soft and hard left and is now more technocratic. We're like that, too. We have an honourable tradition of journalists from the right [working for us]. It is a broader church. The BBC is not a campaigning organisation and can't be, and actually the truth is that sometimes our dispassionate flavour of broadcasting frustrates people who have got very, very strong views, because they want more red meat. Often that plays as bias. People think: 'Why can't they come out and say they are bastards?' And that can play out on left and right."


    and further paragraphs highlight your own selective bias!



    try better next time!
  • CAMERA OBSCURACAMERA OBSCURA Posts: 8,002
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    RobMiles wrote: »
    That's more to do with the fact that the Labour representatives are rubbish, and less by design. Although Andrew Neil is equally vicious to all parties, if the representative hasn't got their facts and figures correct.

    Then knowing that the Labour representatives are rubbish you would think Andrew Neil, a BBC employee, would go easier on them and not ask the tough questions he does other parties. You would think that would happen across BBC TV and Radio. Yet it doesn't. Why is that?
  • AneechikAneechik Posts: 20,208
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    Not socialist, no. It's institutionally liberal, it will always take the line of social liberalism and economic liberalism, that's why the left criticise it for being biased to the right (economic liberalism) while the right criticise it for being biased to the left (social liberalism).
  • Clarisse76Clarisse76 Posts: 5,566
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    Aneechik wrote: »
    Not socialist, no. It's institutionally liberal, it will always take the line of social liberalism and economic liberalism, that's why the left criticise it for being biased to the right (economic liberalism) while the right criticise it for being biased to the left (social liberalism).
    And meanwhile those of us who have spent interminable hours flicking through its schedules in the vain hope of finding something worth watching criticise it for being biased towards a waste of sodding money.
  • davzerdavzer Posts: 2,501
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    and the paragraph after that....

    “Now it is a completely different generation. There is much less overt tribalism among the young journalists who work for the BBC. It is like the New Statesman, which used to be various shades of soft and hard left and is now more technocratic. We're like that, too. We have an honourable tradition of journalists from the right [working for us]. It is a broader church. The BBC is not a campaigning organisation and can't be, and actually the truth is that sometimes our dispassionate flavour of broadcasting frustrates people who have got very, very strong views, because they want more red meat. Often that plays as bias. People think: 'Why can't they come out and say they are bastards?' And that can play out on left and right."


    and further paragraphs highlight your own selective bias!



    try better next time!

    Not at all. I suggest you read up on 'organisational culture' and see how easy it is to change an organisation the size of BBC.

    The Met say they aren't racist anymore. Do you believe that?
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 3,772
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    davzer wrote: »
    Not at all. I suggest you read up on 'organisational culture' and see how easy it is to change an organisation the size of BBC.

    The Met say they aren't racist anymore. Do you believe that?

    I'm not the one selectively quoting an article which goes on to dispute my own bias.

    I've seen the BBC be very right wing when they want to.

    It's a new idea to me today, but the suggestions above that the BBC has a liberal rather than left/right bias makes a bit of sense.

    Personally I think that the BBC has a tendancy to suck up to the government of the day.
  • davzerdavzer Posts: 2,501
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    I'm not the one selectively quoting an article which goes on to dispute my own bias.

    I've seen the BBC be very right wing when they want to.

    It's a new idea to me today, but the suggestions above that the BBC has a liberal rather than left/right bias makes a bit of sense.

    Personally I think that the BBC has a tendancy to suck up to the government of the day.

    Agree with both of your latter points.

    of course liberal is almost interchangeable with left wing nowadays.

    As for current state of play -

    http://biasedbbc.org/quotes-of-shame/
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