http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=411846&in_page_id=1770#StartComments

Sorry, this was the nicest link out there, but this has been substantiated in a couple other places. Feel free to post better links below. It all stems from a leaked memo. A lot of it is no big deal, but some of it is:

Quote :

"At the secret meeting in London last month, which was hosted by veteran broadcaster Sue Lawley, BBC executives admitted the corporation is dominated by homosexuals and people from ethnic minorities, deliberately promotes multiculturalism, is anti-American, anti-countryside and more sensitive to the feelings of Muslims than Christians. One veteran BBC executive said: 'There was widespread acknowledgement that we may have gone too far in the direction of political correctness. 'Unfortunately, much of it is so deeply embedded in the BBC's culture, that it is very hard to change it.' "

Quote :

"In one of a series of discussions, executives were asked to rule on how they would react if the controversial comedian Sacha Baron Cohen ) known for his offensive characters Ali G and Borat - was a guest on the programme Room 101. On the show, celebrities are invited to throw their pet hates into a dustbin and it was imagined that Baron Cohen chose some kosher food, the Archbishop of Canterbury, a Bible and the Koran. Nearly everyone at the summit, including the show's actual producer and the BBC's head of drama, Alan Yentob, agreed they could all be thrown into the bin, except the Koran for fear of offending Muslims. "

Quote :

"Washington correspondent Justin Webb said that the BBC is so biased against America that deputy director general Mark Byford had secretly agreed to help him to 'correct', it in his reports. Webb added that the BBC treated America with scorn and derision and gave it 'no moral weight'. "

Quote :

"There was another heated debate when the summit discussed whether the BBC was too sensitive about criticising black families for failing to take responsibility for their children. Head of news Helen Boaden disclosed that a Radio 4 programme which blamed black youths at a young offenders', institution for bullying white inmates faced the axe until she stepped in. But Ms Fitzpatrick, who has said that the BBC should not use white reporters in non-white countries, argued it had a duty to 'contextualise' why black youngsters behaved in such a way. "

A lot of other supposed biases didn't worry me, but if they're bouncing around that they are biased in a lot of ways, they need to clean house. Paging Randy...

10/24/2006 12:28:44 PM

^ find me one news organization that doesn't need cleaning, and I'll find you a leprechaun

10/24/2006 12:32:47 PM

never listened to BBC radio or watched the TV network but i read BBC.com all the time and i can honestly say i haven't picked up on anything like:

Quote :

"the corporation is dominated by homosexuals and people from ethnic minorities, deliberately promotes multiculturalism, is anti-American, anti-countryside and more sensitive to the feelings of Muslims than Christians."

[Edited on October 24, 2006 at 12:36 PM. Reason : .,]

10/24/2006 12:36:14 PM

no big surprises here

10/24/2006 12:40:39 PM

Quote :

"never listened to BBC radio or watched the TV network but i read BBC.com all the time and i can honestly say i haven't picked up on anything like:"

I read BBC.com a lot as well and I don't pick up on the bias much either. But then again, I don't pick up on bias from Fox News, so maybe I just don't pick up on bias much, period.

Quote :

"^ find me one news organization that doesn't need cleaning, and I'll find you a leprechaun "

You're right...free pass then.



[Edited on October 24, 2006 at 12:47 PM. Reason : .]

10/24/2006 12:46:48 PM

well since England is as a whole more liberal than we are wouldnt their news be more left leaning?

their center is not at our center.

10/24/2006 12:49:54 PM

^^ No, how about just not giving a free pass to anyone.

Do you think people are too stupid to use the filter called a brain?

10/24/2006 1:02:55 PM

I bet they don't have any partisan hacks as bad as Oreilly and Hanity.

10/24/2006 1:06:13 PM

I think why this is probably bigger news than say, the New York Times admitting that it has a left-wing bias is that the BBC has traditionally been viewed on the international arena as being one of the most unbiased and fair media organizations in the Western world. In fact, they came under some criticism in the 1990s because they were too stoggy and boring, simply reporting facts instead of providing the sort of colored commentary that the American media tends to add. Critics would argue that it was under this environment that the BBC began to pick up some of the biases that they are now accused of.

BBC also has a much larger audience than most American news organizations, particularly in many of the old Commonwealth nations in Africa, South Asia, the Caribbean, and Hong Kong.

[Edited on October 24, 2006 at 1:18 PM. Reason : .]

10/24/2006 1:17:59 PM

^You're right RedGuard.

Even on this site we take BBC very seriously. I find that it is admitting to bias to be at the very least disturbing. But, as most of these people pointed out..."the republicans are doing it at one news station in America, so what's the big deal?"

10/24/2006 2:24:53 PM

Seems like this deals moreso with their entertainment wing than their news wing.

Today's headline is a positive one about Iraq, btw.

10/24/2006 2:32:47 PM

There is nothing like making your own quote, and then saying someone else said it.

They didn't admit to having a left-wing bias. They admited to being too politically correct ... That usually means not expressing the full extent of your feelings for fear of offending someone.

People, don't run with bgmims quote and pretend that the BBC said it ...

Quote :

"There was widespread acknowledgement that we may have gone too far in the direction of political correctness."

10/24/2006 2:45:28 PM

Quote :

"At the secret meeting in London last month, which was hosted by veteran broadcaster Sue Lawley, BBC executives admitted the corporation is dominated by homosexuals and people from ethnic minorities, deliberately promotes multiculturalism, is anti-American, anti-countryside and more sensitive to the feelings of Muslims than Christians. "

I guess admitting to being anti-American, anti-countryside and more sensitive to the feelings of Muslims than Christians means you're too politically correct.

10/24/2006 3:10:08 PM

I guess if you define being PC these days as trying to appease the people who are rioting in your streets, then yeah. That sounds like being PC to me.

10/24/2006 3:23:08 PM

Yeah, you're right...you just shouldn't print news that's offensive to Muslims.

10/24/2006 3:26:38 PM

well, when you have this guy:

outside your office, you'd probably be wary

10/24/2006 3:28:47 PM

Wary...yes...
Would I change the news to please him? Absolutely not.

[Edited on October 24, 2006 at 3:35 PM. Reason : o]

10/24/2006 3:35:27 PM

Neither would I, but the BBC is as much a business as they are a spreader of news I guess.

10/24/2006 3:36:24 PM

^Fair enough.

But I'm just reserving the right to bring this back up later when some jackass (and they always do) says something like "I don't take your news source seriously, obviously NPR and BBC are the only unbiased sources"

10/24/2006 4:09:59 PM

just goes to show, news companies have a corporate bias ahead of anything else. what does their audience want to see? what does the public want to see?

10/24/2006 4:16:51 PM

^ this is the truth.

also what wont get your office firebombed.

10/24/2006 4:55:29 PM

I do think its kind of messed up that they told Cohen "Sure, chunk the bible in the trash...but the Koran...you might just want to read from it and tell everyone how fun it is to worship Allah"

10/24/2006 4:59:15 PM

^odd b/c in the Ali G skits he definately tells this one guy that he likes the fact that he's a Christian. Thing is, Borat is supposed to try to offend EVERYONE. Problem is, if you offend Muslims these days, you spark mad riots and someone will get killed.

10/24/2006 5:01:31 PM

Everyone has biases. What cracks me up is when people pick at those who at least try to present both sides while giving a pass to those who don't even try (read Rush, Hanity, et al) ...

Their excuses for lack of journalistic integrity is:

1) We're not journalists, we're commentators.
2) We have to be biased just to counter the "mainstream" media.

The truth is, with the numbers they draw they have become "mainstream". Hell, Rush has good numbers and 3 hrs a day to rail against the left - without any pretext of being unbiased. But then, instead of complaining about lack of journalistic integrity, someone always jumps in and says, "see, NPR, BBC".

Give me a break ...

10/24/2006 5:02:17 PM

Who claims that Hannity or Rush are unbiased? I mean, you were right with 1)
They are pundits and are biased as hell. Big deal

But the BBC isn't punditry, it is news

And Fox News isn't punditry (barring several admittedly pundituous(?, lol) shows), it is news

So when they show bias and get called on it, I like that.

10/24/2006 5:09:51 PM

Difference between BBC and Fox News: At least one of them can admit their bias. The fact the Fox maintains they are "Fair and Balanced" is what makes me hate their guts...

10/24/2006 5:21:04 PM

conversely though...my favorite show on Fox News is Hannity and Colmes...mainly because it has two hosts...one conservative republican...one liberal democrat...they clearly have opposite views on many issues

does the BBC have any equivalents like that? basically a point-counterpoint? i'm asking cause i'm no more familiar with BBC than I am with their radio broadcasts

10/24/2006 5:24:11 PM

Quote :

"Difference between BBC and Fox News: At least one of them can admit their bias. The fact the Fox maintains they are "Fair and Balanced" is what makes me hate their guts..."

You do know this came from a LEAKED MEMO

They admitted it to themselves, not to us.

10/24/2006 5:26:30 PM

The first step is to admit you have a problem.

10/24/2006 5:38:14 PM

Quote :

"conversely though...my favorite show on Fox News is Hannity and Colmes...mainly because it has two hosts...one conservative republican...one liberal democrat...they clearly have opposite views on many issues"

you always bring this up, despite the fact the it's pretty clear Colmes is the pundit equivalent of Howdy Doody.

10/24/2006 5:47:07 PM

Yea really. He's a freaking comedian. If they want a comedian, at least get somebody like Bill Maher or Lewis Black.

[Edited on October 24, 2006 at 5:49 PM. Reason : ?]

10/24/2006 5:48:59 PM

he's still a liberal democrat on fox news

how many conservative republicans have their own shows on BBC??

10/24/2006 6:05:07 PM

^ First, there's no such thing as a Republican in Britain...or anywhere else outside the U.S., the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Northern Marianas, American Samoa, and Puerto Rico.

Second, do you mean the American conservative type or the British conservative type? The British conservative of today is the Nixon type - ignore social issues and focus on the financial and foreign policy.

[Edited on October 24, 2006 at 7:34 PM. Reason : /]

10/24/2006 7:29:48 PM

somehow i doubt he would even know a torie if he saw one.

Quote :

"how many conservative republicans have their own shows on BBC??"

yeah, people dont like you b/c youre conservative, not because you are a moron. DURRRR...WHY CANT I PAY WITH DOLLARS IN BRITAIN?

[Edited on October 24, 2006 at 11:07 PM. Reason : .]

10/24/2006 10:57:50 PM

You know that the Daily Mail is like the National Enquirer crossed with the NY Post, right? It's infotainment, not news.

10/24/2006 11:00:50 PM

Quote :

"how many conservative republicans have their own shows on BBC??"

where are all the reps from the Labour party on Fox?

10/25/2006 11:44:42 AM

haha...thats a gem.

10/25/2006 11:45:38 AM

where are all the conservative republicans on CBS, NPR, etc?

unless you guys would rather bash your boy Colmes and ignore that Fox News does actually employ a liberal democrat

or god forbid you comment on it being leaked out that BBC has liberal bias (oh what a revelation, BBC has a liberal bias???)

Quote :

"DURRRR...WHY CANT I PAY WITH DOLLARS IN BRITAIN?"

DURRRR....I HAVE FAITH IN WHAT BRITISH PEOPLE SAY ABOUT AMERICAN POLITICS DURRRRR

[Edited on October 25, 2006 at 12:09 PM. Reason : .]

10/25/2006 12:05:19 PM

Quote :

"where are all the conservative republicans on CBS"

do you ever watch the cbs evening news? just last week they gave sean hannity an editorial piece, and a few weeks before that they gave rush limbaugh an editorial piece. those are just two examples, but they consistantly give conservatives a say during their "free speech" segment.

of course they can't have a repulican show (or a liberal show) because they don't have a 24 hours news station.

does that make them any less liberal leaning? thats up to you to decide, but don't say that they don't present a conservative message.

[Edited on October 25, 2006 at 12:20 PM. Reason : df]

10/25/2006 12:16:13 PM

how bout the conservative republicans at NPR? me thinks it wasnt coincidence you ignored that question

being that Fox News and NPR are both 24 hour stations...and Fox News not only allows liberals to do one time editorial spots to present their views...Colmes is employed by them to CO-HOST A SHOW EVERY WEEKDAY...how many conservatives are employed to co-host a show on NPR? hello?

10/25/2006 12:24:12 PM

i dont listen to npr, so i cant comment about them.

10/25/2006 12:24:44 PM

what a coincidence

10/25/2006 12:26:20 PM

i appologize for not answering questions that i dont know the answer to.

next time, ill just make something up.

10/25/2006 12:29:54 PM

or better yet, you could ignore my main point that the obviously conservative biased Fox News actually employs, FULL TIME (not just allowing an editorial), to be a CO HOST OF A SHOW THAT COMES ON EVERY DAY, a liberal democrat, and you could fail to mention any "liberal equivalent" of Fox News that employs, full time, a conservative

10/25/2006 12:34:34 PM

The last time I was in Europe and especially Eastern Europe, there was a HUGE anti-foreigner movement among the ethnic Europeans. There are skinhead groups popping up in criminal organisations all over Eastern Europe as well as France, Germany and Scandinavia. Alot of these people get their news from small, coordinated publications that fit their political leanings.

10/25/2006 1:51:58 PM

Colmes looks like a dead person....

which would bring me to the conclusion most fox viewers think liberals are vampires.

also most NPR interview type shows have every view point available, its difficult to please 100% of the people all the time when calling guests.

Also to put Comles on a high horse is silly when thats the only example you have.

one more thing...

My brother is a conservative who reads the BBC news online because its not full of "useless crap" as he puts it.

[Edited on October 25, 2006 at 2:39 PM. Reason : !]

10/25/2006 2:37:41 PM

This thread fulfilled its cycle for the Soap Box. A small bit of actual open discussion followed by devolution into childish rants and name calling.

10/25/2006 4:29:43 PM

This is one of those times where you need to step back and ask yourself if, nowdays, "liberal bias" is any different from "reality bias"

10/25/2006 4:35:24 PM

lol, Right, because I'm sure they leaked a memo saying "We're just keeping it too damn real for these mother fuckers"

10/25/2006 4:36:12 PM

^^welcome to the thread, i see you havent changed!

10/25/2006 4:37:39 PM