Does the BBC ever listen?
Yes, the recent right wing march was big. But did that mean the BBC was obliged to give it, to coin a phrase, ‘the oxygen of publicity’? Even before the understandable coverage of the bad behaviour of some of the marchers (perhaps a minority, I’m prepared to admit) the march was leading the news. In itself the fact that the marchers knew they were in the public gaze may have emboldened them.
Here is my recent correspondence with the BBC (my 75th complaint to them) on the subject:
From PB:
I am very disappointed to hear the BBC once again giving disproportionate air time to Tommy Robinson and his allies on the evening news. The item about the alleged 100,000 marchers in London led your news broadcast. In contrast there have been repeated marches, sometimes with up to 1,000,000 people, organised by pro European campaigns, which have featured on your news not at all, or been treated as a mere footnote.
In its reporting of calls from several speakers for violent overthrow of the elected UK government, the BBC was scrupulously non-judgmental. This is clearly inappropriate where criminal actions are being carried out.
The BBC has failed in its duty of balance and will increasingly be perceived as an organ which is promoting destructive far right causes. It is at increasing risk of losing the respect of moderate politicians, viewers and voters. Please think again.
Dr Peter Burke
From BBC Complaints <bbc_complaints_website@contact.bbc.co.uk>
Dear Dr Burke
Thank you for getting in touch with us about our coverage of the ‘Unite The Kingdom’ march, which took place on Saturday 13th September.
We consider the march was particularly newsworthy, due to the amount of people attending, as well as the violence against police officers and the controversial figures who had organised the protest. We also reported on the Stand Up to Racism counter-protest which took place nearby. We had reporters and news crews on the ground, who were able to give a first-hand account at what took place during the march.
Overall, we consider our coverage of the march was fair and accurate across our news network, and we simply reported the events as they unfolded. However we appreciate your feedback on the issue, and we thank you for taking the time to get in touch.
If you’d like to understand how your complaint is handled at the BBC, you might find it helpful to watch the short film on the BBC Complaints website about how the BBC responds to your feedback. It explains the BBC’s process for responding to complaints, what to do if you aren’t happy with your response and how we share the feedback we receive.
Kind regards,
BBC Complaints Team
Do you think the response is justified? Over to you.
If, like me, you feel the BBC is falling down on its charter obligations, feel free to tell them. You can do so at www.bbc.co.uk/complaints
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