Newsnight propagandises interview with working single mum

[Fedayn]

But you can use that facade of accountability to challenge them in a way you couldn't with a private broadcaster?

The reversal of film by BBC editors that showed miners attacking coppers at orgreave in the 1984 miners strike when it started the other way round, has still never been 'paid for' They got away with that. Ironically SKY will probably get away with less now NotW has been turned over. The BBC has little accountability. Remember the farce over the DEC appeal over Gaza in 2009? Thompson ignoring license payers having met previously with Ariel Sharon, hardly accountable is it?!

 

[frogwoman]

That just looks kneejerk froggy.

Fucking BBC you surely mean with this. I'm not convinced that Allegra Stratton even works for the Guardian any more -- but will check in a minute.

ETA -- she doesn't any more, and she was rather dull-ly MOTR when she did as I recall, nothing stand-out exceptional, in fact why TF did someone as ordinary as her get so senior at the Graun? And even more, why was she 'headhunted' for the BBC, old boy/old girl network aside? I suppose that last q answers itself, maybe now her true colours are displaying a lot more nakedly than before, as that leninist blog nails pretty well.

PS I'm in full agreement with what most are posting here about stitch ups with this BBC interview etc.

No i mean fucking guardian. Bunch of traitorous cunts. That's what happens when you employ scum. Is she still on their books?

 

[tar1984]

Not really, because the access the public has to complaining about content is "skin deep", hence crap like Points of View, which is basically just a forum for an occasional broadcaster's mea culpa mixed in with some viewer views. That's it. That's the official "accountability" we have access to - complaints procedures and "Points of View".

Yeah I wouldn't really expect much to change from people complaining. I remember the Jody McIntyre incident a couple of years back... thousands of complaints and the BBC dimissed it as online 'nerd rage' or something.

I just meant it annoys me more coming from the BBC, I mean it isn't even subtly done it's basically an attack on the girl.

 

[Pickman's model]

Yeah I wouldn't really expect much to change from people complaining. I remember the Jody McIntyre incident a couple of years back... thousands of complaints and the BBC dimissed it as online 'nerd rage' or something.

I just meant it annoys me more coming from the BBC, I mean it isn't even subtly done it's basically an attack on the girl.

i was quite impressed with them ignoring all the many thousands of complaints about the jerry springer opera.

 

[ViolentPanda]

Yeah I wouldn't really expect much to change from people complaining. I remember the Jody McIntyre incident a couple of years back... thousands of complaints and the BBC dimissed it as online 'nerd rage' or something.

I just meant it annoys me more coming from the BBC, I mean it isn't even subtly done it's basically an attack on the girl.

I used to be a bit idealistic about the BBC, but what Birtism started, with making management more important than production, has meant ever lesser concentration on content, while concern with box-ticking and "popularity"/ratings/viewing figures has never been greater. Basically you've got shite piled on shite, all of which contribute to the BBC sailing ever further from it's original remit to become a broadcaster of poor journalism and vapid entertainment.

 

[tar1984]

The reversal of film by BBC editors that showed miners attacking coppers at orgreave in the 1984 miners strike when it started the other way round, has still never been 'paid for' They got away with that. Ironically SKY will probably get away with less now NotW has been turned over. The BBC has little accountability. Remember the farce over the DEC appeal over Gaza in 2009? Thompson ignoring license payers having met previously with Ariel Sharon, hardly accountable is it?!

Yup I have done some reading on their reporting on Israel and Palestine. It is really unbalanced, and provably so, in favour of the Isreali discourse.

There have been attempts to make them accountable for that but it never changes. I'm not that naive to not realise that, more that I think what they are supposed to be & not what they actually are like. I mean, they claim to be balanced don't they?

 

[albionism]

I have avoided opening a twitter account until now.
This issue has made me open one specifically to lend
my support to Shanene Thorpe. What an absolute outrage.
That's not journalism, that's being a total cunt.

 

[killer b]

I mean, they claim to be balanced don't they?

so does pretty much every news provider. Its meaningless.

 

[Nylock]

Is there a 'why the BBC is shit/going down the pan' type thread somewhere? I have a memory there is but I couldn't find one, mods can move if there's a better place

http://www.change.org/petitions/bbc...yBkO&utm_medium=email&utm_source=action_alert

This young woman was approached by her manager at work at Tower Hamlets Council to ask if she wanted to be interviewed for Newsnight as a young single mum who needs Housing Benefit. She's been working since she was 16 and has a three year old child. She wasn't expecting them to selectively trim any reference to her working out of the interview when they aired it and imply that she is an unemployed benefit scrounger who should just move back in with her mum. Total misrepresentation. And Boris claims the BBC has a left-wing bias?

Has that e-petition gone into meltdown or something? i have signed it but my signature is still processing after reading the entire thread from this post!

 

[weepiper]

I have avoided opening a twitter account until now.
This issue has made me open one specifically to lend
my support to Shanene Thorpe. What an absolute outrage.
That's not journalism, that's being a total cunt.

I might do the same actually.

 

[tar1984]

so does pretty much every news provider. Its meaningless.

That's true. It maybe annoys me more because the BBC is publically funded.

 

[alfajobrob]

Has that e-petition gone into meltdown or something? i have signed it but my signature is still processing after reading the entire thread from this post!

Hopefully with numbers...duly signed & even commented (rarity for me) as well and ta for Ska for the Lenin's tomb link btw.

 

[killer b]

This is likely to be a popular campaign across the whole political spectrum isn't it? It's got something everyone can latch onto...

 

[alfajobrob]

This is likely to be a popular campaign across the whole political spectrum isn't it? It's got something everyone can latch onto...

I think I get what you mean in regards the right could say how disgraceful such a "hard working mother" was victimised like this and still portray people on benefits as scoungers & the left can just try and tell the truth?

 

[elbows]

Im not convinced that would be enough to make it really popular with that side of the spectrum. I don't really think they want attention drawn to examples of their crude propaganda gone pear shaped. They'll dress the issue up as suggested if forced to talk about it, but I don't think there is much mileage in it for them to go out of their way to feed off this story, theres too much risk in terms of where it might lead, especially now that there is something of a backlash against austerity brewing.

Exceptions to this may include those who will bash the bbc for anything they can, even if it means they end up criticising something they are secretly glad the bbc does as it serves their agenda.

 

[killer b]

I think I get what you mean in regards the right could say how disgraceful such a "hard working mother" was victimised like this and still portray people on benefits as scoungers & the left can just try and tell the truth?

Oportunities for some BBC kicking too.

 

[William of Walworth]

No i mean fucking guardian. Bunch of traitorous cunts. That's what happens when you employ scum. Is she still on their books?

I don't think you read my reply previous page though did you? Not properly I mean? Because I actually answered that exact question!

Side issue I know, the above and what you and I posted earlier is really for the Guardian thread I'd say ...happy to get into this over there if you like though

But let's focus on the BBC in this one, because they're the principal villains here surely?

 

[William of Walworth]

[re BBC agenda setting/government line establishing]
They're expected to do it with far more finesse, though, so that the blade slides in unnoticed, rather than do some blatant stabby shit.

I agree, and that was my main reaction when I saw this story first. The sheer crudity of the stitch up on this particular occasion. In that other BBC thread, the long established 'government propaganda on the BBC' one, we've been bleating for months on and off about their agenda setting, but it does usually tend to be a bit 'softer' and not so blatantly obvious -- except to committed politicos/media obsessives. This time, not so. Which among lots of other things only goes to prove how crap Alegra Stratton is

Oh and I agree with others, nice one to the 'interview'ee woman for not letting it lie ...

 

[William of Walworth]

Not really, because the access the public has to complaining about content is "skin deep", hence crap like Points of View, which is basically just a forum for an occasional broadcaster's mea culpa mixed in with some viewer views. That's it. That's the official "accountability" we have access to - complaints procedures and "Points of View".

PoV has been a bit rubbish for years hasn't it? Minor moans and particular gripes, and almost never anything remotely political or serious. Minutiae rather than anything more.

 

[danny la rouge]

Could you link please danny? Is it just their messageboards, or is there an article/blog too .... have to go to bed imminently so couldn't pick this up there on a quick search

Ta -- looks like a good site anyway.

Just on the message board. But they specialise in hounding the media by email. If they decide to take up the issue, they'll email out a (usually lengthy) account of the media transgression to their support network, along with the emails for the journo/news desk/editor in question. They then share the responses and repeat the process, responding to the responses and so on. They're pretty dogged. It's not like these petition websites; the campaigns are specific, targeted and intelligent.

How much good does it do? Well it doesn't alter the structures that cause the media to transgress in the first place. They've been picking up on misrepresentation of Israel/Palestine for years, for example, and continue to do so. But I guess it's good somebody does it.

Sign up for their emails, Will. I think it'd be up your street.

 

[William of Walworth]

Nice one. Will definitely have a closer look at the site when I get more time, and you never know I might just follow your suggestion

 

[danny la rouge]

No I mean they are accountable in a way that sky news or the like aren't.

I don't know why you are accusing me of being naive because I am obviously aware that they have certain agendas and fail to provide balanced reporting on a lot of things.

Tar, have you read Chomsky and Herman's Manufacturing Consent? It's old, but still relevant. Also worth looking at (and more specific to the BBC) is Philo and Berry's Bad News from Israel. (It's been updated since I read it to More Bad News from Israel, which I have on my shelf, but haven't read yet, so can't comment on specifically).

 

[tar1984]

Tar, have you read Chomsky and Herman's Manufacturing Consent? It's old, but still relevant. Also worth looking at (and more specific to the BBC) is Philo and Berry's Bad News from Israel. (It's been updated since I read it to More Bad News from Israel, which I have on my shelf, but haven't read yet, so can't comment on specifically).

I have read sections of More Bad News From Israel... Greg Philo is one of my lecturers. That's the one I was talking about further up the thread.

 

[tar1984]

I haven't read manufacturing consent

 

[danny la rouge]

I haven't read manufacturing consent

It's worth a go, especially to get an idea of the Propaganda Model and how it works. (Which is slightly different when applied to the BBC as it doesn't have advertisers).

 

[tar1984]

It's worth a go, especially to get an idea of the Propaganda Model and how it works. (Which is slightly different when applied to the BBC as it doesn't have advertisers).

I'll read it Danny, thanks for the tip. I like a bit of Chomsky.

 

[articul8]

Just had a reply back from my complaint to the Beeb:

Dear XXXXXX

Thank you for contacting us regarding ‘Newsnight’, broadcast on 23 May 2012.

‘Newsnight’ was sorry to hear Shanene Thorpe was unhappy following her interview. While the BBC is still yet to receive a formal complaint, ‘Newsnight’ contacted Shanene to hear her concerns. We are happy to accept her contention that her current situation was not made clear and have apologised.

We hope this allays your concerns, thanks again for taking the time to contact us.

Kind Regards
BBC Complaints

Not really, no Why was her situation misrepresented? Has the apology been made publically, on air?

 

[krink]

If the 20 thousand who have signed the petition could also go here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/complain-online/ then that would be good.

 

[Streathamite]

If the 20 thousand who have signed the petition could also go here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/complain-online/ then that would be good.

will do, at lunch

 

[articul8]

I've followed up on their inadequate response with a second complaint