Silence and Collusion

Professor John Robertson to Education and Culture Committee on BBC response to research into bias in the referendum coverage:

“I interpret the above as an attempt at thought control”

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  1. James Kelly says:

    The SNP members of the committee did a good job of putting the BBC on the spot about why they had reacted to this particular academic study in a completely unique way by expending huge effort in trying to discredit it. But I wish the BBC had been pressed on why the study hadn’t been mentioned on Reporting Scotland. Even if they truly thought it was flawed, it was undoubtedly a major news story (and indeed their angry reaction simply made it an even more major news story). It’s hard to interpret its absence from the news bulletins as anything other than an attempt to withhold embarrassing information from viewers.

    Another thing I found slightly disturbing yesterday was the emphasis the BBC placed on the referendum results programme. That is exactly what was so wrong with their approach to the 2911 Holyrood election – it was as if they blew their budget on the results programme and forgot that coverage of the campaign itself is far more important from a public service standpoint.

  2. Alas, if only BBC Scotland had the willpower and mental ability to routinely analyse complaints received from customers and categorise them in some meaningful way to provide transparent and useful information. You know – the same way every entity does.

    I would hate to think that the BBC would hide the level and nature of their customer complaints while criticising an experienced academic who actually published the findings of his study.

    Who should one trust?

    The bloke who answered every question (and actually apologised several times for giving too much detail in his replies)? Can you believe that? I think it must be quite unique for a political panel to hear a person giving evidence actually make such an apology!

    The BBC Scotland Executives who were unable to answer questions on their own output, its content and the level and nature of customer complaints? I was stunned that the BBC Scotland Executives were unaware of how the Standard & Poors opinion on Scotland’s economy had been reported on their news output. This was after all a unique event in Scotland’s history!

    I personally have no remaining trust in the BBC. Watching the way Prof Robertson’s findings have been turned against him rather than promote an open and informed discussion on improving output was a killer blow.

  3. Fordie says:

    Absolutely wonderful presentation and defence of his work by Prof. Robertson. The attack on his expertise and the attack on the publication of a peer reviewed research paper, by a lay organisation ie the BBC, with no equivalent expertise is utterly unacceptable in a democratic society.

  4. what an admirable guy – sense of humour too. 38.09 is a highlight of the show – worth watching it all.

  5. habibbarri says:

    Prof Robertson, I admire you!

  6. Murdo Macdonald says:

    “It would be nice to think that the BBC was merely out of touch, but the active dumbing down of Radio Scotland suggests a more deliberate commitment to the advancement of ignorance. In the days of presenters like Pat Kane, Radio Scotland was a credible, at times excellent station, but now it is little more than a useful source of travel news. The reality of that intellect-suppressing agenda was neatly demonstrated by the recent attempt to intimidate Dr John Robertson of the University of the West of Scotland. By attacking him instead of debating his findings of bias, the BBC revealed its intellectual inadequacy.”

    – See more at: http://nationalcollective.com/2014/02/26/murdo-macdonald-im-voting-yes-because-im-an-internationalist/#sthash.yisZD4LL.dpuf

  7. I hate to say it, but BBC Management in Scotland is beyond a joke; staff morale is at an all time low, and I’d be surprised if there’s not a call for strike action by journalists in the next few days. If there’s any coverage of the Commonwealth Games by BBC Scotland, I’ll frankly be surprised.

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