John Humphrys retires, accuses BBC of bias.

[itsnotoutthere]

John Humphrys says BBC 'simply could not grasp' why anyone would vote for Brexit in new memoir

 

John Humphrys has lifted the lid on the BBC's "institutional liberal bias" and accused the corporation of being out of touch with the nation in his memoir. 

The veteran broadcaster, who retired from Radio 4's Today show two days ago, says bosses "badly failed" to read the public's mood on Brexit and "simply could not grasp" why anybody voted Leave.

In an extract published in The Daily Mail on Saturday, he recalled the morning after the referendum, writing: "Leave had won – and this was not what the BBC had expected. Nor what it wanted.

"No nods and smiles when the big bosses appeared. No attempt to pretend that this was anything other than a disaster."

In the book, called A Day Like Today, he adds: "Bosses, almost to a man and woman, could simply not grasp how anyone could have put a cross in the Leave box on the referendum ballot paper

 

"I’m not sure the BBC as a whole ever quite had a real grasp of what was going on in Europe, or of what people in this country thought about it."

Humphrys describes the BBC as being terrified of offending "‘fashionable pressure groups – usually from the liberal left, the spiritual home of most bosses and staff".

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/09/21/john-humphrys-says-bbc-simply-could-not-grasp-anyone-would-vote/

From the horses mouth so to speak. Guess he won't be getting an invite to the chrisrmas party.

 

 

Edited September 21, 2019 by itsnotoutthere

[Duke Wellington]

It really is disgraceful coming from our state TV channel which is supposed to be politically neutral.

They do the absolute legal minimum when it comes to neutrality and then go full-swing liberal-socialist. Why are people paying for it? We dont need TVs anymore, you can have monitors and tablets and smartphones receiving Netflix, Amazon Prime, and cable/sky services. We need someone with the balls to privatise the BBC and to let it have to win viewers via subscription or have to attract advertisers.

We have 3 tablets, 2 laptops, a PS4, and a PC in my house. All of them are on Netllix, all of them are on Amazon Prime, and if we wanted cable is available too.

 

[acute]

Humphrys is only half correct. I think the BBC is anti-Brexit --- not because of political bias, but because of the strong possibility of Brexit leading to Scottish independence.

The breakup of the UK would open up a huge can of worms for the British Broadcasting Corporation, and they have just built a new BBC Scotland HQ, no doubt at enormous expense.

 

Edited September 21, 2019 by acute

[L.A.T.1961]

Time for a public enquiry.  

[Grey Area]

1 hour ago, RabidMongoose said:

It really is disgraceful coming from our state TV channel which is supposed to be politically neutral.

I think the term state media is debatable, while the majority of the BBC’s funding comes from the public purse, the state does not have editorial control.  I do exclude the world service from this, that’s a big muddy puddle of its own.

1 hour ago, RabidMongoose said:

They do the absolute legal minimum when it comes to neutrality and then go full-swing liberal-socialist.

Is it against the law for media to have a bias?  The national press certainly has no legal issues with choosing sides.

I do think the BBC has become increasingly one sided since Brexit though.  That I agree with 100%

[itsnotoutthere]

1 hour ago, Grey Area said:

I think the term state media is debatable, while the majority of the BBC’s funding comes from the public purse, the state does not have editorial control.  I do exclude the world service from this, that’s a big muddy puddle of its own.

Is it against the law for media to have a bias?  The national press certainly has no legal issues with choosing sides.

I do think the BBC has become increasingly one sided since Brexit though.  That I agree with 100%

It's not illegal no, but then national press isn't payed for by the public with the threat of imprisonment if you don't buy a newspaper. 

[TigerBright19]

Every time I stay at a European hotel I can see most of the BBC channels on the TV.  Perhaps the BBC want to please their European viewers?  Do they pay the same as UK licence holders?  I wonder if the BBC are worried that Brexit might affect their ability to broadcast across Europe?

 

 

[hetrodoxly]

The BBC is dominated by champagne socialists it's as simple as that, John Humphrys isn't the first to make this claim, it should be impartial as much as possible or at least try and represent the views of the population as an whole, but it doesn't and it's time to end the licence fee.

[TigerBright19]

Even back in 1926 the BBC were used as a political tool to stop the General Strike and during the war the BBC was notorious for spreading fake propaganda to Germany.

 

US newspapers - 1941

 

 

[itsnotoutthere]

 

[itsnotoutthere]

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2019/09/22/bbc-veteran-kremlin-style-bbc-thought-police-want-to-mould-uk-in-liberal-lefts-image/

[stevewinn]

On 9/21/2019 at 4:06 PM, Aaron2016 said:

Every time I stay at a European hotel I can see most of the BBC channels on the TV.  Perhaps the BBC want to please their European viewers?  Do they pay the same as UK licence holders?  I wonder if the BBC are worried that Brexit might affect their ability to broadcast across Europe?

 

 

i believe BBC channels broadcast outside of the UK, funding comes from the foreign office budget.

edit to add, just checked. funding from the foreign office ended in 2014. but funding from the govt continues.

Edited September 22, 2019 by stevewinn

[Duke Wellington]

Just now, stevewinn said:

i believe BBC channels broadcast outside of the UK, funding comes from the foreign office budget.

Planet Wide in fact.

[Setton]

On 9/21/2019 at 1:37 PM, itsnotoutthere said:

It's not illegal no, but then national press isn't payed for by the public with the threat of imprisonment if you don't buy a newspaper. 

Neither are you for not having a TV licence. 

It's not having a licence but still watching TV that's the issue. Kind of like you can't drive without a driving licence. 

[itsnotoutthere]

5 minutes ago, Setton said:

Neither are you for not having a TV licence. 

It's not having a licence but still watching TV that's the issue. Kind of like you can't drive without a driving licence. 

What if you don't watch the BBC? 

What if you only use your TV to watch Netflix and amazon? 

Why should you have to buy a licence based on ownership of a television. 

The BBC should be a subscription service, then the people that watch it pay for it, it's very democratic. 

[Setton]

7 minutes ago, itsnotoutthere said:

What if you don't watch the BBC? 

Then you still pay for it. Just like you pay for the NHS even if you go private. 

Quote

What if you only use your TV to watch Netflix and amazon? 

Then you don't have to pay the fee. 

Quote

Why should you have to buy a licence based on ownership of a television. 

It isn't.

You really need to get some facts on this instead of whatever drivel you've cooked up with your right wing friends. 

Quote

The BBC should be a subscription service, then the people that watch it pay for it, it's very democratic. 

I presume this idea therefore also extends to other areas of society, like the NHS example above. 

Since I don't drive, I should get a tax cut. Why should I pay for roads for others to use?

And another one as I don't have kids. Why am I paying for schools and teachers? 

There are any number of things we pay for, whether we use them or not. You just don't like this one because it doesn't pander to your victim narrative. 

[+OverSword]

So John Humphrys retires and states the obvious eh?  The BBC is so obviously biased in their political spin that it doesn't take memoirs to know it, just viewing it with a neutral mindset is the only thing it takes.

[itsnotoutthere]

34 minutes ago, Setton said:

Then you still pay for it. Just like you pay for the NHS even if you go private. 

Then you don't have to pay the fee. 

It isn't.

You really need to get some facts on this instead of whatever drivel you've cooked up with your right wing friends. 

I presume this idea therefore also extends to other areas of society, like the NHS example above. 

Since I don't drive, I should get a tax cut. Why should I pay for roads for others to use?

And another one as I don't have kids. Why am I paying for schools and teachers? 

There are any number of things we pay for, whether we use them or not. You just don't like this one because it doesn't pander to your victim narrative. 

So you equate watching 'Strictly' with using the NHS, hmm interesting world view you have. And you don't pay road tax if you don't drive a car. But I think I know at which point I lost you, it's when I pointed out that making it a subscription service would be more democratic, I know you don't go in for that whole democracy thing.

[Setton]

Just now, itsnotoutthere said:

 democracy

You keep using that word. I don't think you know what it means. 

[itsnotoutthere]

8 minutes ago, Setton said:

You keep using that word. I don't think you know what it means. 

And you've proved you don't.

For you enlightenment :-

Definition of democracy

1a: government by the people especially : rule of the majority

Edited September 23, 2019 by itsnotoutthere

[spartan max2]

53 minutes ago, OverSword said:

So John Humphrys retires and states the obvious eh?  The BBC is so obviously biased in their political spin that it doesn't take memoirs to know it, just viewing it with a neutral mindset is the only thing it takes.

I think the real story here is that he needed to wait tell retirement to say the obvious.

Probably to protect his career. 

[itsnotoutthere]

34 minutes ago, spartan max2 said:

I think the real story here is that he needed to wait tell retirement to say the obvious.

Probably to protect his career. 

Indeed. And he's not the only one, Robin Aitkin and Peter Sissons both said exactly the same.

P.s. And Rod Liddle.

 

Edited September 23, 2019 by itsnotoutthere

[Setton]

2 hours ago, itsnotoutthere said:

 especially

There's the word you keep missing.