The broadcaster behaves like Starmer’s government: suppress the left, cave to your critics, and undermine your own survival, writes Guardian columnist George Monbiot

Yeah it’s an opinion piece but some interesting stuff about how even conservative journalists when they don’t toe the line are pushed to the side.

  • JasSmith@sh.itjust.works
    21·
    1 day ago

    Under the Tories the BBC would constantly say “X said the sky is yellow” and leave it at that. It’s totally impartial to say “X incorrectly states that the sky is yellow”.

    There is a long history of objective journalism refraining from passing judgement. This is the distinction between news journalism and editorials. There is nothing wrong with partisan journalism, but the BBC is by and large not that. When I look over at the hellscape that is U.S. “journalism,” I don’t see a compelling role model. In fact, I think that is irrefutable evidence that the BBC is correct to remain impartial. Remember: impartiality is subjective. Making judgements - even ones which appear reasonable to you - open the author and publication up to endless accusations of editorialism. If the BBC were to ever switch to U.S.-style journalism, I believe they would be defunded almost immediately.

    • wewbull@feddit.ukEnglish
      3·
      24 hours ago

      None of what I wrote was about passing judgement.

      I agree that once you do you lose your objective foundation. However saying that something has never happened before, or it’s being justified under emergency powers, or that something is a factually incorrect statement is not opinion.