The BBC's pro-car, anti-cycling bias: here's the proof.

[Howard Peel]

Blue Peter star in bias warning

BBC News
15 August 2007.

The BBC has warned Blue Peter presenter Konnie Huq about political bias after she took part in a press conference with London mayor Ken Livingstone.

She appeared at an event to promote cycling despite the corporation telling her agent she should not take part.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6947857.stm

[hubgearfreak]

having read the link, it seems to me that the BBC don't want to have their presenters linked with any political party, rather than they're upset with her for promoting cycling

[archy sturmer]

having read the link, it seems to me that the BBC don't want to have their presenters linked with any political party, rather than they're upset with her for promoting cycling

Agreed, hubgearfreak

[Si]

Yep, I read it the same way as AS and Hubbers.

[LaStradaGiusta]

Any event of this nature is going to have some self promotion involved and in the current climate, that may well be interpreted (especially by mischievous lobbyists) as "political".

Would we expect Blue Peter (or any other BBC) presenters to be banned from attending the Motor Show? I doubt it, but the Motor Show would inevitably involve self promotion that could be interpreted (say, by George Monbiot) as being political.

[reohn2]

Any event of this nature is going to have some self promotion involved and in the current climate, that may well be interpreted (especially by mischievous lobbyists) as "political".

Would we expect Blue Peter (or any other BBC) presenters to be banned from attending the Motor Show? I doubt it, but the Motor Show would inevitably involve self promotion that could be interpreted (say, by George Monbiot) as being political.

I dare say that a BBC celeb wouldn't be stopped from attending and promoting The Cycle Show at where ever its at this year either.
I'm with Hubbers ,Archy and Si on this one,its politics the BBC didn't want to get involved in according to the article linked to.

[Howard Peel]

I am sure we could find many instances of a BBC employee attending an event where a politician was also in attendance and yet was not carpeted for showing 'political bias'.

Do not people who work for the BBC, such as Jeremy Clarkson, also write vehemently pro-car pieces (often also with an anti-cycling and pro-right wing political bias) in papers, magazines and so on without the BBC getting worked up about the political implications of this?

Surely the BBC should see the promotion of cycling to children, even indirectly via the involvement of one of it's children's presenters, as being a very positive thing, especially given the explosion in childhood obesity and related illnesses due to not getting enough exercise?

What sort of political 'bias' might be the BBC believe is associated with 'promoting cycling'. Presumably a left-wing bias, given that the person who complained was a Tory!

We might also ask if the BBC has no pro-car anti-cycling agenda why does it give so much space to anti-cycling stories, or those rare cases where a cyclist causes an injury to another person, and yet fails to report on the many cycle casualties which occur on the roads as a consequences of irresponsible driving? Why did the BBC seemingly adopt a policy of placing a link to lunatic anti speed enforcement groups such as 'Safespeed' every time it ran a story on speed cameras, and yet refused to also provide links to groups such as The Slower Speeds Initiative and Roadpeace? ( Though this does seem to happen less now after many complaints were sent to the BBC concerning this blatant bias).

Similarly, look at all programs the BBC has broadcast over the years which display a blatant anti speed enforcement bias. I saw on one by the 'Look North' team where the presenter teamed up with a Lincolnshire traffic cop, visiting Lincolnshire and Germany, with the repeated claim being made that as the fatality rate on Germany's motorways is less than Lincolnshire roads, speeding was not a relevant issue! Of course, no mention was made of the fact that a typical Lincolnshire road, what with side roads, single lanes, farm traffic and all the rest is hardly comparable with a German autobahn!

Again, why does the BBC never allow one of it's presenters to appear on a bike without a cycle helmet on, also pressuring others who appear in front of the camera on a bike to do likewise? Even on shows such as the Holiday Program the presenter was required to take a cycle helmet to Amsterdam as the locals don't wear them and to make a comment on this to camera, and yet the same show showed another presenter taking part in a 4x4 rally without even wearing a seat belt and another 'quad biking' at high speed across a desert wearing only headscarf!

[Howard Peel]

P.s. At the end of the day was this really a 'political event'?

Here's one view from that BBC report. (Albeit from Ken Livingstone).

"The Hovis London Freewheel is a new event to promote cycling and London and supporting this event cannot in any reasonable view be regarded as party political."

I also see that the it was argued that she shouldn't have attended an event which was associated with 'campaigning'. I know that the far-right seem to think that the BBC should only reflect the sort of attitudes expressed in papers such as 'The Daily Mail', but this fear of criticism from the political right for supporting entirely praiseworthy causes is getting to be ludicrous.

Just look at the way BBC has barred its employees from making positive references to campaigns such as the 'Make poverty history' on the basis that doing so would show 'political bias'. What do those who argue 'bias' want to see? 'Balance' being introduced by showing a program in favour of third world starvation perhaps?

Apparently, the complainant, Brian Coleman is totally pro-car and anti-cycling and was responsible for ripping out speed reduction measures and cycle lanes in Barnet. Apparently his borough also has the lowest spend in London on cycling facilities. By pandering to the complaints of BBC 'bias' by such people, the BBC inevitably introduces a bias in the opposite direction, which is the very clear aim of people like him and Paul Dacre.

[George Riches]

There are some pretty clever representatives of the motoring lobby working at the BBC.

They saw the opportunity to have a go at cycling by claiming that Konnie Huq was taking sides on the Labour v Conservative dimension and they took it.

Real politics doesn't happen between political parties but within them.

[archy sturmer]

There are some pretty clever representatives of the motoring lobby working at the BBC.

That's funny - the beeb is usually accused of being a haven for lefty free thinking subversives intent on pursuing a green agenda.

Truth is, ever since they were shafted and left demoralised by Hutton, they're terrified of being accused of political bias.

Incidentally, it's hard to imagine an event with Ken L not being a political event.

And wasn't it Ken who promised to get tough on cyclists with a registration plates etc? Now there was a line to appeal to readers of the Daily Mail… which would be a good place to look if you really want see bias in the media!
-AS

[George Riches]

That's funny - the beeb is usually accused of being a haven for lefty free thinking subversives intent on pursuing a green agenda.

Is a "Green" agenda always a pro-cycling one?

It's all very well saying "lets spend loads of money on cycle facilities and bus lanes", but then you find that too many cycle facilities are worse than useless. We all know that. I'm slowly becoming aware that some bus lanes are not worth the money and aren't environmentally friendly (e.g. building bus roads over parks - or bus gates that don't allow cyclists through).

[archy sturmer]

That's funny - the beeb is usually accused of being a haven for lefty free thinking subversives intent on pursuing a green agenda.

And how is a "Green" agenda always a pro-cycling one? .

I didn't say it was - just that your idea of motoring lobbyists lurking in the BBC is an interesting contrast the usual accusation.

- AS

[Howard Peel]

I didn't say it was - just that your idea of motoring lobbyists lurking in the BBC is an interesting contrast the usual accusation.

Is not Mr Jeremy Clarkson a rather well-known 'motoring lobbyist' who 'lurks' within the corridors of the BBC.

To put this story into some sort of perspective, I would say that 'the usual accusations' made against the BBC, including that of a 'leftwing' bias are just about the very opposite of the reality. The bottom line is that people like Paul Dacre- £1.3 million per year editor of The Daily Mail- are doing all they can to ensure that the BBC mirrors what they regard as being the dominant attitudes and 'values' found in the UK- meaning of course the sort found within the pages of The Daily Mail! Other right-wingers, such as Andrew Marr, the former political editor at the BBC who was quoted in that recent internal report on impartiality would appear to have a very similar agenda. For another view see:

'Is the BBC Marxist?'

Andrew Murray
The Guardian
Wednesday January 24, 2007

http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,1997148,00.html

And: 'So the BBC is a subversive leftwing conspiracy? You could have fooled me.'

Simon Jenkins
The Guardian
Friday July 20, 2007

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Columnists/Co ... 88,00.html

Anyhow, on the subject of motoring lobbyists, how many people know that the guy who was central to the propaganda exercise, sorry who held a key post in the press office in the run up to the first election victory of 'The New Labour Project' - Andrew Pharoah - was prior to this the press officer of the British Road Federation?

[hubgearfreak]

i like to see the BBC get accused of bias by both sides.
it's when they only get accused by one side that we need to worry

[LaStradaGiusta]

I think the evidence that dear old Auntie has gone a bit blue-rinse in her later years is abundantly clear from our own eyes and ears, not to mention the evidence posted above.

But if you really don't see that anti-cycling bias, consider this: would the BBC allow one of its news journos to become the chairman of a pro-cycling campaign group?

- matt