In the great BBC interview bias debate, we’ve already identified one factor, what has been called the “interruption coefficient” (by commenter Ctesibus). There are other factors though of course; one that usually strikes me is what I could term “framing”. The opening 1 minute and 30 seconds of this interview with Conservative Caroline Spelman were conducted by John Humphrys analysing the local elections results WITHOUT mentioning the expenses scandal, while claiming that the Conservatives had failed to meet expectations at a time when Labour were at a low ebb. Actually, before the election I can recall the BBC intoning hypnotically that all politicians were in the doghouse together. Now that the Conservatives pass an electoral test, suddenly the expenses scandal disappears from their thinking and the Conservatives have allegedly disappointed.
The rest of Humphrys’ interview too was dripping with oleaginous cynicism directed against Conservatives- insinuating that the Conservatives would be punished at the General election, that Spelman was dishonest (“come on, you’re a politician”), that Brown had the new Cabinet behind him (Humphrys fluffs this hilariously as he realises he’s spouting more than his usual nonsense quotient) and that David Cameron would get his comeuppance soon over expenses.
All of this Spelman sailed through with the fair wind of success behind her, but Humphrys’ framing of the discussion was a persistent effort to mitigate bad news for Labour. For now, it has failed, but to the truly ideological every little counts.
What the BBC miss is the gap between the Tories and Labour. That gap was about 16 points. THAT is what counts.
Will BBC 2 'Newsnight', 7:30 TONIGHT, feature this in its 'Brown on the brink?':
'Mail online' –
[Extract]:
"Gordon Brown's hopes of political survival suffered a fresh blow tonight as leaked emails revealed Lord Mandelson believed the Prime Minister could not win the next General Election.
"In the emails, published by a Sunday newspaper, Lord Mandelson was said to have advised that voters were put off Mr Brown because they thought he was 'angry'."
This is the propaganda – err briefing – that Labour MPs are supposed to learn by rote. Don't you think it has a strange resemblance to the BBCs editorial line? Looks like Mandelson is writing the script for the BBC.
http://docs.google.com/View?id=dgcf77v2_134dt4n2bf3
Hat tip: Guido
This website claims to cast a pentrative gaze on the workings of the BBC in order to uncover evidence of bias.
The "interruption coefficient"?
WTF? The tactics you claim are anything to do with left wing bias in the bbc, are just the usual mainstream journalistic tools to make what is otherwise tedious news, watchable. They will do the same things to Labour when the Conservatives get back in shortly, and indeed already do (but there is no blogging constituency ready to pick the BBC up on it whilst Labour remain in power).
This blog reminds me of John Pilger's book "Hidden Agendas"; popular with adolescents and bored people working for insurance companies. Jog on losers.
Anon- No one denies that there are journalistic techniques, simply that these "techniques" or tactics, get used disproportionately against those outside the BBC's agenda.
There- a patient answer to a rude person. Toddle along now, anon- I'm sure you have a "blogging constuency" you'd rather be in than this one.
Ed
Great post.
Maybe there is room for a list of key techniques of bias – including
– selection of interviewees and discussion panels (eg Radio 4 Any Questions had MPs from Labour, Libs, Conservative – and then there in Polly Toynbee – complete imbalance. (She mentioned that she had always been a Labour supporter – including her time at the BBC)
– "framing" the discussion/interview
– interruption coefficient
– bias by omission of relevant facts and stories – or hiding adverse stories away
– bias by commission in news reporting – stressing the stuff favourable to their side
– using biased "experts" without defining their bias, while describing other commentators as "right-wing" etc.
– selective use of the freaded quotation marks
etc etc
A "taxonomy" of bias.
So humphreys is pro labour. Nothing new. But the Tories are just a lighter shade of red anyway. So Humphreys is merely attacking his own kind.
Had Spelman turned to the cameras and said "You know, we're sick of all this anti-conservative, pro-labour bias, vote for us and we'll abolish the the licence fee and the BBC" she'd probably find a few million more voters on her side.
But just like every other politican they have their heads buried firmly in the sand – just like the public – pretending it all isn't happen.
Spelman and Humphrys are both scumbags, only on different ends of the same scale.
The right wing sympathizing on this site is really off-putting. If you can't accept that the Tories are as shite for this nation as labour and will do NOTHING to adjust the BBC when they are elected in 2010, then you are living in la-la land.
"..right wing sympathizing on this site is really off-putting"
So you are saying that the Conservatives are like Labour. If that is so how can anyone be right wing for supporting the conservatives.?
As for Conservative party policies on the future of the BBC – do you know what they are? Not what you think they are.
The BBC is a very large organisation, do you honestly think that it would be easy to tackle them when you have no power to do anything?
Just watching the Breakfast bouffant and brunette teleprompter reading show.
It seems a tad bizarre to me that po-faced protestations of support and normality from a succession of short-term sycophants trying to buy time to cram a few more looted treasures into the train is in any way considered 'news'.
'Things' are 'saved/stabilised' today by a bloke called Cruddas, now elevated to near kingmaker status, saying something Mandy Rice Davies kinda nailed… 'well, he would say that, wouldn't he'.
I really hope this troupe of self-serving GOATs will discover that they find themselves called to account for what they are on record as saying and not doing, and are then found wanting.
Not sure having it all discussed by Neil Lawson of COMPASS (actually billed as a left winger!) and…Polly Toynbee exactly helps with getting a grip on the commentating balance much either.
Peter – can't be bothered to try and figure out why this daft system has ceased to cope as it has 'til now
BBC news, 8:10am.
To discuss the looming announcement of the Euro election results and the potential harm to Gordon. Get two talking heads to discuss it.
Left wing Polly Toynbee and some bloke from left wing Compass.
No attempt to seek views from *ANY* opposition. It's just about what is wrong for Labour and what can be done to fix them. Stuff the Country though, just worry about Labour.
Usual BBC Bias.
Another method the Beeb uses is to let one side have an half hour unchallenged polemic, eg David Hare's half hour one against Israel and their security wall on Radio 4, and have the 'response' as a seven minute much interrupted interview, as with Israeli historian Benny Morris.
Oddly nobody gets to do a polemic against the Palestinians, Obama, or Labour.
Ed & John A,
Today's political interviews on the 'Andrew Marr Show' show some of this:
Choice of interviewees:
Sir Alan Sugar, Labour
Nick Raynsford, Labour
William Hague, Conservative
Lord Mandelson, Labour
Time allocated to each interviewee:
Sugar 19.4%
Raynsford 11.1%
Hague 13.9%
Mandelson 55.6%
'Framing the discussion' tactics employed against Hague:
– not so good results for the Tories in the local elections
– "rum partners" in the European parliament
– "humming-and-aahing" over a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty (2 questions)
(The Interruption Coefficient for the Mandelson interview was tricky to calculate because Mandy kept interrupting Marr!!!)
Craig
Thanks for the analysis. Bias all round, it seems.
BTW (I've finally worked out what that means!)Jon Sopel's friendly chat with Alan Johnson yielded (not surprisingly) a very low 'Interruption Coefficient' of 0.4.
(Length of interview: 10 minutes
Significant interruptions: 4)
Sopel held off from his usual high-pitched puppet act for once. The Beeb have great hopes for Alan (when Gordon goes).